The Truth About Negotiating Your Salary

Negotiating your salary is probably one of the most stressful things you’ll do in life. It’s intimidating and can leave you feeling like a failure if it doesn’t go well. But it doesn't have to be that way! Negotiating your salary isn't just about getting a higher starting salary—it also means asking for promotions, requesting additional work when necessary and knowing what salary range you should be in based on your experience and work history. Here are some tips for negotiating effectively:

Do your research.

The first step in the salary negotiation process is to do your research. This means not only looking at what you want, but also looking at what the company has to offer. Do your due diligence on the company website and pay attention to any information there about benefits or salary ranges. Many companies list current salaries for available jobs on their websites and/or in annual reports, which can be helpful if you're trying to figure out whether you're being paid fairly compared with your peers.

If there's no information available online, ask a friend who works at this company how much she makes—but make sure that she's okay with giving you the info before asking her! You could also look up Glassdoor reviews by current employees (but please remember: just because someone writes a negative review doesn't mean they don't like their job). Finally, take advantage of Online Jobs Agency's jobs tool and see what kinds of positions are open within companies where you'd like to work—you may find some interesting possibilities that weren't previously obvious!

Talk about how you’re going to help the company.

Another way to show your worth is by discussing how you will help the company further their goals. Let’s say you are looking for a raise, but there are no open positions in the department that would allow you to grow into a higher position. This can be tricky—you might want to use this information as leverage when negotiating with your current employer, but if they know that they can’t offer you a promotion then it may not work in your favor.

Asking for more money could come across as greedy or insincere if it comes across as though all you care about is getting more money and nothing else matters, which is why it’s important that you emphasize how much value your contributions add on top of providing an honest assessment of how much time and effort goes into what tasks are expected from an employee at their level. Showing appreciation for companies who treat employees fairly with benefits such as health insurance coverage or paid sick days helps foster positive relationships between coworkers too!

Ask for a raise at an appropriate time of year.

The best time to ask for a raise is when you've been doing your job well. Make sure you've gotten all the work done and that your performance has been consistently outstanding. If this means waiting until the end of the year, then so be it!

If you're not sure whether or not you should ask for a raise, consider these factors: 1) Is there any reason why my boss would say no? 2) Have I demonstrated that I deserve more money? 3) Am I responsible enough to handle more responsibility? 4) How much do other people in my position make? 5) Am I asking too much or too little (compared to other employees)? 6) Can I explain why I need more money without sounding greedy? 7) Do I fit into the company culture and show up every day with enthusiasm and passion about what we do here at work.--

Don’t feel like you need to bring up your personal life or family situation.

• This is a common mistake, but don’t feel like you need to bring up your personal life or family situation. If the interviewer brings it up, then let them know that you are willing to discuss it with them at another time if they need more information.
• Don’t use your friends as an example when discussing salary. If they aren’t in the same position as you, their salaries won’t be comparable to yours. In other words: don't say anything about how much money your friend makes with their current employer and expect that number will be what someone pays for your services!

Don’t dwell on past mistakes or things that you could have done differently.

You've already made a mistake. You're being paid less than other people with similar experience and credentials, which means you’ve already fallen behind in the race for higher pay. The best thing to do now is not dwell on things that could have been done differently, or focus on all the things that are wrong with yourself and your abilities.

Instead: look forward! Focus on what's ahead of you – what more can you learn and do so that next time around when someone offers you a job, they have no choice but to give you what it is that YOU deserve?

Take your time and make sure the job is the right fit before accepting a lower salary than you think you deserve.

Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure that the job itself is a good fit for you. If it's not, and you've already accepted a lower salary in lieu of a higher one, then you might be stuck there for a while. The company wants to hire someone who's going to stay long-term and do their best work—and if they think they're getting someone who isn't happy but just taking whatever they can get because they need the money (or worse yet, hates their current job so much that leaving seems like an attractive option), then they'll find a way out of keeping them around. That's not good for anyone involved—so don't rush into anything until you're 100% sure that this position is right for both parties involved!

Negotiating your salary can mean getting a higher starting salary, but it also means asking for promotions, requesting additional work when necessary and knowing what salary range you should be in based on your experience and work history.

Negotiating your salary can mean getting a higher starting salary, but it also means asking for promotions, requesting additional work when necessary and knowing what salary range you should be in based on your experience and work history. If you’re looking for a job or have already found one, there are several things to keep in mind during the negotiation process.

• Be prepared: Know what you need before the meeting starts so that nothing catches you off guard. The company may offer you more than they initially offered, but if they don’t meet your needs when it comes to benefits or other perks that matter specifically to YOU, then don’t accept the position simply because the initial figure was close enough (and especially not just because “they said yes!”).
• Don't overplay your hand: You want them to say yes—but only if doing so doesn't come at too high of a cost on their end (for example, if it requires them having to hire someone else). In some cases where both parties have made concessions during negotiations and settled on terms that neither is completely satisfied with yet both believe would benefit their interests overall ("it could be worse"), negotiators will agree upon another meeting later down the road where each party can bring up new issues/concerns which hadn't been brought up earlier due simply being unaware of them until some time had passed following initial discussions; this allows both sides an opportunity reevaluate their positions without having prematurely closed off any possible avenues at resolving differences between two parties whose respective interests were previously thought incompatible but later turned out not quite as incompatible as originally assumed (or vice versa).

Conclusion

The truth is, negotiating your salary isn’t easy, but it can be done. If you don’t feel comfortable asking for a raise, seek out someone who will help you with this process. Or if you have an idea of what salary range you should be in based on experience or education level (like the infographic shown above), then use that information to your advantage when negotiating with potential employers!