UMD Career Services

Negotiating Salary and Benefits

The following may serve as a useful guide during your salary bargaining session.

Keep in mind that negotiation establishes a positive relationship between you and the company for which you'll work. Both parties should be happy with the bargain each has struck.

Preparation is probably the single most important part of successful negotiations.

Prepare

• Determine if the organization negotiates salary with entering employees.
• Gather as much factual information as you can to back-up the case you want to make.
• Establish the market value for your profession in the geographic region.
• Consider how you will respond to counter-offers and what alternatives you have.
• Establish your bottom line and be prepared to walk away if necessary.
• Know exactly what you want.

Practice

Rehearse your presentation in advance.

Do

• Begin by expressing genuine interest in the position and organization, emphasize areas of agreement but allow “wiggle room” to compromise.
• Listen carefully and actively. Acknowledge what is being said.
• Try to avoid negotiating over the telephone. In person you can try to pick up on and respond to the non-verbal signals that the employer is sending and receiving.
• Emphasize the similarities between your position and the employer’s.
• Approach each session with trust and a willingness to compromise.
• Be open to "changing the shape of money" (that is, exchanging a salary increase for another kind of benefit).
• Use firm, confident repetition ("I understand, but the market indicates ... " Avoid saying, "You're wrong").
• Recognize that this is a process. Trade-offs and compromise occur over a period of time.
• Know when to stop. Recognize the critical moment.

Don't

• Don’t be antagonistic.
• Don’t interrogate the employer.
• Don’t stop listening and don't interrupt.
• Don’t emphasize your problems or needs (your employer is aware of housing and utility costs and may even have had his or her own student loans to repay). Your employer won't be sympathetic. Needs or wants are not useful in negotiations.
• Don't discuss an item if you are not prepared. Defer your decision, if possible. If you do not understand an issue, ask for clarification.
• Don't enter the bargaining process with a chip on your shoulder. Avoid being discourteous or arrogant. Know the difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness before you start to negotiate.
• Don't underestimate your power. Higher expectations reap higher rewards. Do your research; know your market value. Be informed and confident.