How can you use salary negotiations to achieve your long-term career goals?

A crucial aspect of aligning your salary with your career goals is to estimate how long you might need or want to remain in the role. If your role and industry demand that you stay for several years, you should take this into consideration. Oftentimes, salary increases while remaining in the same role are minimal, so it's important to plan not just for the present but also for how long you intend to stay. This is vital because loyalty often means missing out on significant salary increases, even when you receive the next promotion.

Do your research on salary bands in your industry so you have some baseline figure. Never go into salary negotiations blind. Salaries can vary from region to region. In the UK for example, you get a salary bump if you work and live in London as the cost of living is greater there. Also, if you want to maximise your salary then you may also consider working internationally where taxes may be very low and in some cases, like the middle east, zero. The most difficult issues in salary is getting past the subjectivity of what you are worth to finding some data on what you are actually worth in the market. Most companies are willing to negotiate up to 10% of the advertised salary. Negotiate but be realistic.

Research is key. Salary is such and emotional and subjective issue because we all want to make as much as possible but we forget that employers have limits, no matter how good you are. So you may have to search for the best paying employers in your industry and focus on them. But you also need to show them what makes you different or special to warrant a higher salary. Seek guidance on how to best present your skills, talent and value both in terms of your resume but also in terms of your communication and interview skills. It's all a matter of influencing someone to see your real worth so invest time in honing those skills.

In your research about the employer, also find out the periods where the employer would be set to renew his service contracts with other service providers and the periods where your services are mostly needed. This knowledge will help to establish the periods where the employer can easily be motivated to accommodate your needs ( the weaknesses of the employer). For instance, in the Agriculture sector,it could be the time when the employer is preparing to take the products to the market.

When negotiating your salary with your potential employer, the things of utmost importance are your clarity on your USP, your offerings as an asset to the firm and your understanding of your skillset, personal characteristics that align with the company values and how you can bridge a gap that exists in the company! The focus has to be on the value proposition rather than a salary figure as the latter will fall into place eventually when they see what you bring to the table!

It is worth investing time in research salary bands in your industry and then decided if the added value you will bring can carry a 10% - 20% increase in your salary band. Of course have a minimum figure in mind but also realise that at a certain point the employer will not be able to afford you. Some of the major management consulting firms and larger headhunting firms have such salary data available through their research and studies. Glassdoor can also be useful in this regard. Reach out to HR Directors in the industry and ask them directly about salary bands. Why not? You don't have anything to lose and everything to gain.

You also need to cultivate personal negotiating skills such as being tactful, sweet talking, number crunching, sweeping as well as being a process expert among other factors.

You have more leverage to negotiate a salary at the offer stage not before. If the salary offered during the first interview is acceptable to you move forward, nail the interviews and you will have more chance of getting the base increased. Once you're at the offer stage here's what you do: > Don't accept the offer on the spot > Ask about your deadline to your recruiter > Review the entire package (salary, stock options, sign-on bonus) and identify where are you the least happy > Before the deadline send an email to your recruiter with clear numbers: "Hi X, Thank you so much for the offer, following my conversations with the hiring team I was wondering if we could increase the base to XX, the sign-on to XX or the number of stocks by XX"

If possible, never note your salary expectations upfront. Get the recruiter to give you a figure they are willing to pay for the best candidate. Once you disclose a figure from your side, there may not be any going back. You may also want to hold fire on such negotiations until you get to the employer themselves once the initial sifting interview is done with the recruiter. Recruiter are driven by commission but also expediency. They are not on your side. They are willing to get someone for less, even though they may not be the best candidate just to close the project for the client. So be careful in trusting recruiter with your future.

One thing that can help is to make a few moves over a 10 year period which can help you increase your salary versus staying with one company for 10 years. Otherwise you can suffer from what I call, the penalty of loyalty!

Get yourself in the best position possible in terms of experience and expertise as they are your greatest negotiation tools. If you think you are worth $200,000.00 today and can warrant asking that then what would you need to warrant asking $250,000.00 - $300,000.00 per year? You will have to justify your salary expectations to the employer so make sure you hone those justifications. There can be a huge difference between what you think you are worth and what someone is willing to pay. Rule of thumb is most employer are willing and able to pay 10% to 15% above the advertised salary, for the right candidate.