What do you do if your e-learning salary offer falls short?

When it comes to discussing compensation, highlighting your unique skills, experiences, and contributions is key. But in order to truly stand out, you need to showcase tangible examples of how your expertise in e-learning can drive results, improve processes, or enhance outcomes for the organization.

What unique value do you bring to the table? Skills, experience, niche knowledge? List your key strengths. Determine your absolute minimum acceptable salary needed to meet financial obligations and maintain your desired quality of life.

Knowing your worth is also crucial to determining whether or not the offer is excessively low, which may indicate either an aggressive compensation team on the company's part (cost-cutting, budget issues), or a complete misunderstanding of your expected responsibilities and the value of your skills. Either way, it can be a red flag for an employer to severely underbid. However, if you are new to the field, do not meet all preferred requirements, or a few other factors, it may be that they are valuing you differently.

Thank them for the offer, and reiterate your excitement about the opportunity. This sets a positive tone. Highlight your specific skills and experiences justifying a higher compensation. Reference your research on market value. Be Flexible: Consider these negotiation levers: Base Salary: Perhaps there's room for a small increase. Signing Bonus: A one-time bonus to supplement. Performance-Based Bonus Structure: This ties future salary increases to achievement of specific outcomes. Expanded Benefits: Negotiate for better healthcare coverage or additional professional development funds.

Focus on a Win-Win Outcome: Frame it as seeking a fair compensation that aligns with your contributions and the company's goals.

Additionally, frame it as a request, seeking a solution forward for "us." If you state that you require $xx,xxx per year, it leaves no room for negotiation. If you say you require $xx,xxx per year, how can we get there? You frame it as a problem that you are facing together, and inviting solutions (advancement, professional development, etc.).

Silence can often be an excellent negotiation tactic. While the hiring side may wheedle and say, "that's out of our expected range," or "this offer is competitive," you can leave a healthy pause to think things through. Oftentimes, this will lead to them going back on their statements and agreeing to negotiate, or requesting a second look from leadership. You do not need to argue your way into the point, because oftentimes, the stated salary range is the starting point for negotiation. They want you enough to make you an offer, so it's unlikely that they'll rescind it based on salary negotiation (and if they do, you may be better off without them).

Example Negotiation Script: "Thank you for the offer. I'm very interested in the position and believe my [list 2-3 specific skills] align well with your company's needs. However, my research indicates a more typical salary range for someone with my experience is [provide the range]. Is there flexibility to adjust the base salary, or perhaps explore other ways to reach a mutually agreeable compensation package?"

Consider making an income from multiple sources and perhaps taking on a side gig every now and then. It could be in a complementary field like graphic design or copywriting to develop your skills further. Or even developing your own product or eLearning course. This is a great way of getting on-the-job professional development while giving your income a boost.