Negotiating is the art of getting what you want while giving away what you want less.
A good recruiter can help you negotiate. He can find out all the details before the offer is given to you and get important problems fixed. He can give away the things you care less about. He can negotiate for you before the final offer is put on the table. A good recruiter can put pressure on a company that you will never see. If you have a recruiter, be blunt and honest with him. Don’t lie and say I need $80,000 when you are hoping for $60,000. Tell the recruiter the truth. Then accept or reject an offer based on its merits, not on your greed for more.
If you don’t have a recruiter, you have to do exactly the same thing, only directly with someone at the company.
- Find out all the details
- Talk about details before a final offer is on the table
- Give away the things you care about less for the things you want the most
- Pressure. Let them know your priorities and what will make you walk away
- Be blunt and honest
- Tell them what you really want
- Accept or reject an offer on its merits, not greed
Every one of those points is about communication. Negotiating a salary is about communicating. Go at it with the desire to understand and inform and you will come out ahead. If you go in with a desire to pillage, you will lose.
Something to do today
Get the book, How To Win Friends And Influence People. It may be the best practical book on communicating that was ever written. If you’re feeling a bit short on time, get it as an audiobook to listen to on your commute.