How To: Negotiate a Job Offer
Aaron Ryan • March 18, 2024
Have you ever heard the saying, "if you don't ask, the answer is always no"?
This is something I keep in mind whenever I feel awkward or uncomfortable asking for something I need, and it’s an approach I advocate for candidates to adopt when you’re in that final stage of the job application process.
And if you find yourself at this stage, be sure to take a moment to feel proud of this accomplishment because not everyone achieves it.
In this post I want to look at negotiating the terms of your employment, which is an often overlooked yet crucial step in the job seeking process. When handled appropriately, it can ensure a mutually beneficial arrangement for you and your potential new employer.
As someone who’s been a recruitment consultant for several years, I’ve helped many candidates understand the art of negotiation and how securing a package that aligns with your skills, experience, and market value is essential for a positive onboarding experience.
Tips & Tricks for Negotiating a Job Offer
- Do Your Homework: before entering negotiations, take some time to conduct thorough research on the industry standards, company policies, and salary benchmarks in the local market. Websites like Trade Me Jobs and SEEK provide valuable insights into the prevailing salary ranges for different roles. Understanding the market will empower you with knowledge to confidently negotiate terms.
- Timing is Everything: timing plays a pivotal role in how successful your negotiation is. In an ideal recruitment process, discussions around salary and benefits would occur after as part of your interviews. The movement pushing for organisations to display salary as part of the job ads is gaining momentum, and recruiter best practice lets potential candidates know very early on what the salary band looks like so there are no unhappy surprises later. Being transparent is a good thing as it allows you to decide how much you want to explore the opportunity with this particular employer.
- Express Yourself: while negotiating, it's important to maintain a positive and enthusiastic tone. Reiterate your excitement about the role and the company, making it clear that your goal is to create a win-win situation. This approach fosters a collaborative spirit and encourages the employer to consider your requests more favourably.
- Know Your Value: be confident knowing what you’re bringing to the table and what that’s worth to the organisation who have identified that they want you to join their team. By keeping your achievements, skills, and experience in mind as you negotiate, it will help you to remember that you’d be an asset worth your weight in gold.
- Consider the Whole Package: job offers often extend beyond just the base salary so it’s important to consider the entire compensation package, including benefits, bonuses, work hours, and flexibility. Sometimes, employers may be open to adjustments in these areas even if the base salary is non-negotiable. Assess what matters most to you and negotiate accordingly.
- Know When to Walk Away: while negotiations aim for a mutually beneficial outcome and a calm and collaborative approach can foster a positive relationship that flows on to a positive onboarding experience, it's crucial to know your limits. If the employer is unwilling to meet your reasonable expectations, be prepared to walk away knowing you gave it your best shot. And remember, that you wouldn’t want to work somewhere that isn’t prepared to be open to fair compromise.
By following these (hopefully) simple and reasonable tips & tricks, you'll be well-positioned to secure a job offer that reflects your worth in the local job market. And remember, the negotiation process is an opportunity to establish a positive employer-employee relationship that sets the tone for your future success within the organisation.
Good luck!
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