By: A student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, as part of Heather Nelson’s Service Learning class.
Let’s define negotiating:
“The process of forging an agreement between two or more parties-employees, employer, co-workers, outside parties, or some combination of these-that is mutually acceptable” (Doyle, 2021). This skill is crucial, so please keep this definition in the back of your head while reading this blog…
Getting that Job Offer
When getting a job offer, we are often too excited for the opportunity and become blind-sided when it comes to our pay. There’s a phrase I like to say to remind myself that I am valuable at my job, “I’m great at my job and I’m valuable at my job”. For the most part when the topic of pay is brought up at work, we become quiet and shy. We try to avoid the topic as much as possible, sadly that is because we ourselves know that we are not getting paid what we deserve. On a positive note, later comes that job offer, that great new title we have been waiting for our entire work career and have been working above and beyond for. The employer starts off by explaining how the workload will increase slightly and what the requirements for the new job title are. In your head you are thinking about how it is a great fit for you and how much you have been waiting for that promotion. It all sounds great until there is a pause between the conversation, and you are told your pay will increase by a small percentage but reminded how awesome the new title sounds.
Negotiating the Salary
That is where your confidence needs to kick in to negotiate that salary. Begin by expressing your appreciation for the offer, and your appreciation towards the company. Example: “Wow, this is great news. I am really excited for this opportunity”. After showing your gratitude, show your opinion about the pay, and ask for the money you deserve. Keep this statement short and simple, straight to the point and remember to give a quick reason as to why you deserve it. Example: “After thinking about the salary I was offered I noticed that it is not a fair rate based on the skills, experience, and value I bring to this company, if you could raise my salary to $X I would be eager to accept.”. To close the conversation, show your gratitude for the offer, remind the employer that they can always reach out for more questions and how excited you are for the new role. Example: “I appreciate the consideration. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I am looking forward to hearing from you and if you need anything else, please do not hesitate to let me know.”. At the end only you will know if your negotiation was successful or not, remember to always stay within a reasonable range and keep your head up when asking for what you deserve. We often forget how valuable we are and let the world around us move along as normal but that is not okay. We bring value into this world and especially the places we surround ourselves at. Shoot for the stars.