7 tips to successfully negotiate a job offer

Last week, one of my clients decided not to put out a job offer to their preferred candidate because he lied about his current package. To them, it was a breach of trust that could not be repaired. Needless to say that this left all concerned parties frustrated: my client because they had lost valuable time, my candidate because he missed out on a great opportunity and me because I had to restart the search.

Negotiating a compensation package is an essential part of a job search.

And the way you handle salary negotiations, may prove to be critical to successfully closing the deal, both from your side as well as from the side of your future employer.

So here are 7 tips that may guide you to get the right package for the job that you aspire.

·       Focus on the job

Your long-term satisfaction depends less on getting your negotiation right and more on getting the job right. The content of a job, the team that you will join and the leadership displayed by your future boss are much more important than the particulars of an offer. The start of any salary negotiation is knowing that this is the right job for you and clearly transmitting this message to your future employer.

·       Be prepared

Know up front all the elements of your compensation package, not just your annual base salary. Make sure that you communicate the bonuses that you are entitled to, representation allowances that you receive or details about your health and pension plan before an offer is made.

There is no room to pull any ‘forgotten’ items out of your head once the offer is on the table.

·       Be open and honest

It would be stating the obvious that you are looking for a salary increase when you decide to change jobs. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to include that desired increase into your current salary.

Some employers will ask for proof of your current package. If that happens and you have been dishonest about your current package, you are hung out to dry and there is a large chance that the job is lost.

·       Be realistic

Preparing an offer is quite an analytical exercise where your current salary is compared with the benchmarks and compensation guidelines a company uses to grade its employees. Usually an increase will be added to make the offer attractive but increases of 15 to 20% are rare.

Experience shows that offers tend to be well balanced, offering you a fair compensation for the results you have to achieve while at the same time leaving some room for future increases.

When you work through a headhunter or a recruitment agency, use them as an intermediate to test the waters and to check how much room there is for negotiation.

·       Don’t negotiate for the sake of it

Resist the temptation to prove that you are a great negotiator. You are not on a Moroccan market where they enter as low as possible and you aim as high as possible. Determine whether battling it out over 100 EUR gross per month will truly make the difference.

·       Don’t use an ultimatum

Tempting as it may be to use another job offer to ‘increase the price’, employers don’t like to be put hostile. If this is really the job that you want, why would you make your future employer believe that there are in competition with others.

·       Keep a broader perspective

Much of your satisfaction from the job will come from other factors you can negotiate—perhaps even more easily than salary. Don’t get fixated on money. Focus on the value of the entire deal: commute time, flexibility in work hours, possibility to work from home, opportunities for growth and promotion and so forth. 

Obviously, you want to get the offer you deserve. But to successfully close the deal, you need to find the right balance between the content of the job and the financial gain that you want to get. I hope that these 7 tips will allow you to professionally negotiate any future job offers.

I look forward to hearing from you

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch

Is there a way back after saying ‘no’ to a job offer?

Deciding whether to accept a job offer is a tough decision and a very personal one. Many factors come into play: the compensation package, any possible relocation, the fear of the unknown… In the end, you take a well-informed decision whether to accept or reject.

But what happens if you decide not to accept the offer…only to regret it a few days later. Is there a way back?

A door is never closed. After all, when a company makes you a job offer, it means that they are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. Throughout the process, they have made the conscious decision that your skillset and your personality is what their company needs. That hasn’t changed overnight, simply because you have turned them down.

Whether the door opens again, is a different thing.

First of all, they may have offered the position to another candidate. In that case, there is no other way than to live with the consequences and learn from the experience.

Quite often, there is no back-up candidate and the position will still be open. The way you re-establish contact will be key as to whether they will reconsider you as a candidate or whether the door will remain closed. Your approach can confirm that you have courage, the courage to admit that you have made a mistake. At the same time, it can also give the impression that you take decisions emotionally without any rational behind it.

So here are few tips that can help you in preparing that conversation.

·       Take 24 hours to think about your decision. Once you have reconfirmed your interest in the position, there is no way back. You can come back on your word maybe once but never twice.

·       If you worked through a recruitment agency or a headhunter, use them as an intermediate to test how deep the water is.

·       Candor goes a long a way. Be open about the reasons why you have rejected the offer and what has happened that has made you change your mind. Be prepared to elaborate on any personal issues that may have influenced the decision. At the same time, there is no need to put your entire life on display.

·       Make it easy for the hiring manager to turn you down. After all, he or she will probably be disappointed after your initial decision and might not be willing to reconsider you.

Embarrassing as it may be to go back on your word, take your chances if you regret having rejected a job offer. If you are candid and sincere, the worst the company can say is no, and let’s face that is the same position as you are currently in.

I look forward to hearing from you

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch