Negotiating a Good Salary at a New Job

From the Wall Street Journal | Aug 9, 2009 By ALEXANDRA LEVIT

In
this market, many job candidates are desperate for an offer -- any
offer. But even if you are new to an industry or have been unemployed
for a while, is it smart to blindly accept the first number that an
employer throws out? I don't think so.

Once you are inside an organization, raises are small and promotions
are often slow in coming, so you have to do what you can to maximize
your salary and benefits package right out of the gate. But how can you
do this when the employer has the upper hand and hundreds of qualified
candidates?

Courtesy of Alexandra Levit

Lesley
Gibson, a 30-year-old senior health-care professional in Boston, was
nervous about overstepping her bounds when interviewing for a new job
at the depth of the recession. "The offer was less than I was making
before, so I felt I should ask for more," she says. "But the work
environment was different from what I was used to, and I worried that
they'd hold that against me."

Justify Your Pay Request

Ms. Gibson decided on a specific
number she'd be happy with and in order to justify her request, wrote
out a list of ways she intended to bring value to the position.

"When I called the hiring manager to discuss the offer, she
countered with the salary I wanted," Ms. Gibson says. "The advance
planning made me feel a lot more confident going into that
conversation."

Midcareer professionals often think they have to accept a lower
salary because their industry or job experience isn't a perfect fit.
"You have to get out of the mindset that you're starting over," says
Elaine Varelas, managing partner of Keystone Associates, a
career-management firm. "However, you will need to convince potential
employers why you deserve a salary closer to mid or senior level than
entry level."

This means considering what your years of work experience will add
to the organization and what you can do that will bring in more money
today. Because functional skills are easy to pick up but
problem-solving ability and business acumen are best honed over time,
employers often prefer more seasoned candidates.

Know the Field

When applying for a job in a new field,
understand what entry-level and upper-level positions pay by checking
sources like payscale.com and having frank conversations with
individuals working in the industry.

Experts like Ms. Varelas agree that you shouldn't be the first to
mention salary in the interview, but if confronted about it directly,
you shouldn't hesitate. "Tell them you're looking for compensation in X
range and, at the same time, ask about the range for that position,"
she says.

Once you receive an offer, evaluate it realistically. Be aware that
public-sector organizations compensate differently than private-sector
ones, and that you are unlikely to replace your past salary 100%.

Also remember, however, that employers will expect negotiation and
are likely to go up from the original number. If you're not entirely
satisfied with the end result, see if the employer will agree to
revisit compensation at six and 18 months of service.

Write to Alexandra Levit at reinvent@wsj.com