There always come a time when you feel you must have some salary increase. You always feel you must negotiate for a higher salary before resuming for a new job, and when you have put in some months or years into the job and impressed your boss long enough.
It is always best to negotiate for higher salaries before starting a new job because it is the best time to do so, you may not have the leverage you have now to do so when you have accepted and started on the job, so it is best to obtain the best as a starting point for further milestones. You could also ask for a salary increase after you are sure you have impressed your boss long enough and earn it based on what the company has achieved through your sole efforts.
You may not be a natural negotiator, and negotiating for salary increment sure requires some tactical skills and considerations, so you must learn how to negotiate salary and make the most of it at the most opportune time.
Here are just some of the ways to negotiate for salary increase before starting on a new job or after working some months and years and feeling you’ve already earned it:
Don’t discuss salary until you’re actually offered the job
Be careful that you don’t discuss salary until you have been offered the job. The interviewers might ask you what you intend to get as take-home pay, just tell them you are more interested in starting work first, and that they are in the best position to determine what you should be paid based on your qualifications and experience – but this is only a good tactic if you’re desperate for a job in a sleeping economy. Push them to name your their price, and then consider if it is okay by you or if you must negotiate further.
Let them make you an offer
It is always best to allow your prospective employer to make you an offer so that you don’t undercut yourself. You may have your own expectations but allow your employer to name his price all the same. Imagine saying $1,000 (N350,000) per month when your employer was thinking of $2,500 (N875,000) all along; wouldn’t you kill yourself or want to quit the job if you learnt the actual amount he had in mind all along? So allow the employer to make an offer and negotiate slightly higher if it is okay you, and much higher if it is not okay by you at all.
Counter with a researched offer
It always best to know what obtains in the industry after speaking with friends and researching through online tools. So counter a bad offer by telling the employer what obtains in the industry, and how your own qualifications and experiences qualify you for higher pay. The more confidence and knowledge you show and passion to do the job, the more you will sway your potential employer to lock into your own price.
Lock in the offer and ask for perks
After agreeing to your desired pay, then you might try further to secure other allowances and perks for further delight. You might want to ask about medical and housing allowances, vacation, work-at-home or telecommuting opportunities or anything that can give you more freedom and more pay.