Pay Rate & Salary - Negotiating Pay

Keep in mind that you should never negotiate pay before you are offered a job!  You can only consider negotiating pay after you have been offered the job.  When a pay negotiation goes well, it means that you and the potential employer come to an agreement about the amount of money you should be paid.

In very rare instances, it might be appropriate for you to negotiate your pay. 

When you "negotiate pay" with a potential employer, it means you discuss the amount of money you will make in this job (in terms of hourly rate or annual salary) and you ask for more money than was originally offered by your potential employer. 

Negotiating pay can be very tricky, and there is a potential that you could look greedy by asking for more money.  It takes a lot of social finesse to negotiate pay smoothly.  Even very socially competent people can be intimidated or awkward when negotiating pay.  However, if you are absolutely certain that you are not going to accept the job based on the earnings they have offered you, then it might be appropriate to negotiate.

Here are some examples of when it might be appropriate to negotiate your salary or wage:

• If you are applying for a job that involves a higher level of education, lots of experience, or a very specific area of expertise. If you’ve gone to college or graduate school and have achieved a higher level of education, your employer knows that you have a specialized level of knowledge and he/she may be willing to negotiate with you. Most often, your previous experience in your field will determine your pay negotiations. The more experience you have in your field, the more ‘room’ for negotiation you will have.

• If you are self-employed (meaning you run your own business) or a contractor (meaning you complete work for someone but you are not their employee) you may need to negotiate your pay rate.   If this is the case, you can charge a certain amount for your services. You will be competing with others in the same job industry. That means that your potential client may look at other people for the same service, and choose the person with the best price, the most experience, and/or the best references. 

Below is a list of jobs for which you might be able to negotiate your salary. You will notice that for many of these jobs, you can also be self-employed or a contractor.

Book/cartoon illustrator Carpenter Computer programmer Computer repair and maintenance technician Editor/writer/copy editor Graphic Designer Electrician Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technician House painter Mechanic Musician Photographer Plumber Statistician Video game designer Web developer Accountant / Accounting assistant Computer programmer Drafter (architectural or engineering) Engineer Professor

So, you’ve decided you are going to go for it and negotiate.  Here are some examples of how to ask for a larger salary or wage.

• "$____  does sound good, however, I feel that $_____ is reasonable and fair, given my experience in the field."
  
  
• "I appreciate your offer, but I was hoping for something closer to $_____."
  
  
• "Is there any room to negotiate that amount?"

Once you let your potential employer know what sort of salary/wage you are requesting, here is what might happen:

• They might be willing to offer you the salary/wage that you requested.
  
  
• They might make you a counter-offer with a lesser amount than what you originally asked for.
  
  
• They might tell you that the amount they offered is not negotiable.

If you feel like you can’t make a decision immediately, it is okay to request a day or two (maximum) to think about their offer.