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Fri, Aug 22, 2008 14:02 EDT

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Posted by: Esther Schindler in Best Practices Topic: Personal ManagementBlog: You're the Boss
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I was wondering what you thought about...."
Be confident but not cocky, advise successful negotiators, and know your own abilities. "Be tactful and polite but firm." Always keep things on a professional level. Advised one respondent, "Don't allow the conversation to get negative. If it does, know to stop and either accept [the offer] or move on."
Don't be in a rush, said one respondent who advises job seekers to be patient. "If they really want you for the job you can negotiate for quite some time," he or she wrote in. "Be reasonable, though." That doesn't mean you should go out of your way to poison the well before you've started work at the company. Everyone should be happy at the end of the negotiation. "The outcome should be a 'win' for both sides," one scribbled in. Another went into more detail:
Don't paint your perspective employer into a corner. Give them some outs so that they can feel like they won also. Don't push so hard that the negativity it created becomes an elephant in the room once you take the job. Remember you have to work with the same people you are negotiating with. Negotiate if you think it is necessary, but end it quickly. Protracted negotiations seldom end well and create ill will.
Some additional recommendations:
Don't nickel and dime a prospective employer with a minor increase in their initial salary offer. The net amount is likely to be minimal on a per paycheck basis to you anyway. Rather, look at establishing a formal review process and schedule for an increase based on tangible deliverables within, say, the first six months.
Find a female mentor in IT, if you can. It is more difficult for women to negotiate than men, and pay scales and promotions are not equal. IT managers use hierarchy levels to promote men into "senior" roles to justify higher salaries while women do same jobs in "junior" roles and make $20K less. Difficult to negotiate out of that cycle and make up the difference in salary once it occurs.
Try and work together with the person who really wants you in that position; they can influence HR or other decision makers in their company.
It's OK to interview with firms that you probably won't join as the practice will help you with the firm you want to join.
Make the deal you want up-front and in writing. Much tougher once you are inside and when promises are only verbal.
Above all, though, you should take the time to ask for more. One respondent wrapped it all up in one sentence: "Be friendly, be polite, be respectful—but you will never have a better time to negotiate."
What's worked for you? What didn't? Share your experiences (from either side of the hiring desk) to help other IT professionals in their next interview experience.
Esther,
A wonderful article! [And you beat me to the typewriter on some negotiating how-to's! :-) ]
I learned from a very smart mentor that what you don't ask for is never on the table, and its corollary, ask for what's important to you. And from a peer I learned, ask, you might be amazingly surprised.
The first seems obvious enough, but its positive implication of asking for what you want is not always what we do. As both your articles point out, sometimes we fear that by asking we might diminish ourselves in the eyes of our potential employer, or worse, lose the opportunity. But if you don't ask, then you'll always feel like you let yourself down.
For the second, asking for what's important to you, this has two effects. First, it keeps you focused on the end game and your end goals. It also gives your potential employer some indication to what may be a driver or incentive in the future. So if you focus entirely on money, then for better or for worse, that's what you've set in their mind. However, if you openly discuss your flexibility to other options, that sends a different message. So keep your implied messages in mind, as well.
Finally, the third, about asking for amazing results has a story behind it. Seems my friend and I both started our own consulting businesses in the same quarter in 2003, so there was a bit of friendly competition between us. About six months later his prior employer wanted him back and wouldn't take no for an answer. He wasn't particularly interested, so he asked for a 50% raise, plus fully paid healthcare benefits, plus a company car. Short version is they gave it all to him, without questioning or countering. Oh, and he accepted their offer, and still works for them today. Don't be afraid to ask for what would really make you very happy - you just might get it!