What are the best ways to use Motivational Interviewing when discussing salary expectations?

1 Understand your own motivation

Before you enter any salary discussion, you need to have a clear idea of what motivates you and what you value in a job. This will help you set realistic and flexible expectations, as well as identify your strengths and achievements. You can use MI techniques such as self-reflection, open-ended questions, and affirmations to explore your own reasons for wanting a certain salary and how it aligns with your career goals and personal needs.

2 Express empathy and curiosity

One of the core principles of MI is to express empathy and curiosity towards the other person's perspective, without judging or arguing. This can help you build rapport and trust with the employer, as well as understand their needs and constraints. You can use MI skills such as reflective listening, summarizing, and asking permission to show that you are genuinely interested in their point of view and willing to work together to find a mutually beneficial solution.

3 Highlight discrepancies and elicit change talk

Another key principle of MI is to highlight discrepancies between the current situation and the desired outcome, and to elicit change talk from the other person. Change talk is any statement that indicates a willingness, ability, reason, or need to change. In the context of salary negotiation, you can use MI strategies such as scaling questions, decisional balance, and evoking vision to help the employer recognize the gap between their offer and your expectations, and to encourage them to express why they might want to increase their offer or provide other incentives.

4 Support self-efficacy and autonomy

The final principle of MI is to support the other person's self-efficacy and autonomy, which means their confidence and ability to make their own decisions. This can help you avoid being pushy or manipulative, and instead empower the employer to take action and commit to a change. You can use MI techniques such as reinforcing, offering choices, and negotiating a plan to help the employer feel confident and motivated to make a fair and satisfying offer, and to agree on the next steps and follow-up.

5 Practice and prepare

Like any skill, MI requires practice and preparation to master. You can use role-playing, feedback, and self-evaluation to improve your MI skills and apply them to different scenarios. You can also research the market value of your position, prepare a salary range and a list of benefits that you are interested in, and anticipate possible objections or questions from the employer. By practicing and preparing, you can increase your confidence and competence in using MI when discussing salary expectations.

6 Enjoy the benefits

Using MI when negotiating your pay and benefits can have many benefits for you and the employer. You can improve your communication and persuasion skills, increase your chances of getting a better offer, and establish a positive and collaborative relationship with the employer. You can also feel more satisfied and motivated with your job, and more ready to embrace change and growth. MI can help you achieve your career goals and enhance your well-being.