How can you practice salary negotiation skills with mock interviews?

1 Choose a realistic scenario

The first step is to choose a realistic scenario for your mock interview. You can base it on a specific job posting, industry, or company that you are interested in. You can also research the average salary range, benefits, and expectations for that role. This will help you set your target and minimum salary, as well as prepare your arguments and questions.

2 Find a partner

The next step is to find a partner who can act as your interviewer. Ideally, this should be someone who has experience in hiring, negotiating, or working in your field. You can ask a friend, a mentor, a coach, or a professional service to help you. Make sure your partner is familiar with the scenario, the role, and the market. You can also share your resume and your salary goals with them.

3 Practice the conversation

The third step is to practice the conversation with your partner. You could use a video call, phone call, or face-to-face meeting to simulate the real situation. It's important to be professional, confident, and respectful during the mock interview. To guide your conversation, start with a brief introduction and summary of your qualifications and achievements. Then, express your interest and enthusiasm for the role and company. When it comes to salary, wait for the interviewer to bring up the topic or ask politely if they have a budget or range in mind. Respond to their offer by stating your target salary or asking for more details or time to consider. Provide evidence and reasons to support your request such as your skills, value, research, or competing offers. Listen to their counteroffer, objections, or questions and address them calmly and confidently. Negotiate other aspects of the compensation package like bonuses, benefits, equity, or flexibility. Finally, thank them for the opportunity and express your interest in moving forward.

4 Get feedback

The final step is to get feedback from your partner. Ask them to rate your performance, point out your strengths and weaknesses, and suggest areas for improvement. You can also self-evaluate by recording and reviewing your mock interview. Consider criteria such as whether you communicated clearly and confidently, asked relevant and respectful questions, stated your salary expectations and rationale effectively, handled objections and counteroffers well, negotiated other aspects of the compensation package, and showed interest and enthusiasm for the role and the company. Practicing with mock interviews can improve your salary negotiation skills and prepare you for the real deal. Additionally, it can give you more confidence, insight, and experience in the process. It's important to remember that salary negotiation is a skill that you can learn and master with practice and feedback.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?