How to Effectively Navigate Salary Negotiations

How to Determine and Communicate Your Worth

Salary negotiations can be among the most stressful discussions you have in your career.

However, at the end of the day, your job is a business transaction. You are trading your time and skills for money. So if you haven’t been happy with how much you made in the past, it’s time to put in the extra effort to get your worth this time around. Here’s how to research and articulate your salary expectations during job interviews.

1. What’s the Market Value?

When determining your desired salary range, take a look at what is being offered elsewhere. What are the lowest and highest salaries paid for this type of role at similar sized companies? Getting an idea of what your role is being paid elsewhere can help you figure out your minimum and ideal salary numbers.

The next question is where do you fall on that spectrum based on your experience? You’ll most likely find this kind of information on sites like Glassdoor and Salary.com, but more and more companies also list out salary ranges in their job postings.

2. Flip the Script

At some point in the interview process, your potential salary might come up. Recruiters often ask for salary expectations, for example. Instead of answering with one concrete number, flip the question on its head and ask it back to them.

You can say something like: “This early on in the process I’m still understanding the scope of the role, but do you have a budget or salary range for this position?” And if they push you further to give a number, you can say: “I’m actively interviewing for roles that pay between $X-X, is that in line with your budget for this role?”

Whatever you do, don’t tell them your current salary. You want to avoid limiting your ability to secure a higher offer. If you tell them your current pay, they may just use it as a benchmark.

3. Your Salary Isn’t the Only Compensation

Your monthly salary is important, but it’s not the only form of monetary compensation you might get from a job.

When negotiating your compensation also consider negotiating performance bonuses, options for company equity, PTO days, benefits, remote work, flexible work schedules, you name it. Bring whatever matters most to you to the table for discussion — you could end up with way more than you bargained for, on all accounts!

Above all, remember that you don’t have to accept unfair pay for any job. You deserve to be paid what your skills and experiences are worth, so don’t settle for less!

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