In our last blog post we talked about negotiating for an academic job search. This week, we will highlight tips for negotiating any non-faculty position. Like last week, this blog post is intended to give you an overview of how to prepare for negotiations. For more in-depth information on negotiating for non-academic job offers, view our video here.
Salary: Salary is probably the first thing on everyone’s mind when they think about negotiations. The biggest question you have is “are they paying me fairly?” For the most part, organizations are not trying to low-ball you. It doesn’t make sense to pay you so far under market value, that you leave the organization faster. That being said, they are looking to get you for the lowest amount of money they can. To make sure you feel like you are getting what you are worth you should connect with your network in similar jobs and organizations to see what salary you should be getting. Ask these people, “I am looking at a job at organization X. The position is described like this (insert a brief description here). I think the salary should be $A-$B. Do you think that is reasonable?”
Another resource for salary information is salary comparison sites: Glassdoor.com, monster.com, and salarywizard.com are all good sites. Be cautious though, sometimes the information is not as updated as you would like. These sites are good places to start, but you need more information. Understanding the cost of living changes in different areas of the country is also important. $80K in the DC area is a lot different than $80 in Topeka.
You should always try to ask for additional salary, but be prepared to give them reasons on why you deserve more. You may bring a particular skill set, be losing money by taking this position, or just have an understanding based on your salary research that the number they offered is too low. They may say no to your request, but they can’t say yes if you don’t ask.
Benefits: Sometimes you can negotiate other benefits like time off. The biggest thing here is to understand what you are worth or what you would be losing that you current employer gives you. For example, if in your last job you had 15 days off (including some federal holidays), but the new jobs offers you 12 days. This is now a negotiable item, either to add more days or to add more salary for the days you missed. Also, if you have religious holidays that you need, this is the time to ask. Industry jobs have other benefits that are negotiable such as bonuses, profit sharing and stock options. You may be able to get education payments if you need additional training. Relocation costs are sometimes included, and if they are not you can try to negotiate them. Moving cost span from a flat payment to full help with finding a house/childcare/packing services.
Typical non-negotiable benefits include health care benefits, other insurance benefits, flexible benefits and retirement packages.
Spousal/Partner hires: Your negotiation can also include help for a position for your other half. We have seen this work, and not work depending on the organization. Have a clear idea of what your partner wants to do, the types of jobs that they would like, a list of organizations that their skill sets fit into, and a current CV/resume in order to help your new employer to make the best connections.
Salary review: A good thing to do is to work out a plan that your salary will be looked at in 6 months to a year in order to see if your performance warrants a salary increase. We know someone who did this and after six months got a $20, 000 raise.
The original job offer will likely be by phone or email, as will most of your negotiations. Get the final deal in writing! Nothing is final until it is written down and signed by all parties.
