Can I Negotiate My Job Offer?

Receiving a job offer is exciting news! Career advancement, big changes, new opportunities, all wonderful things to get excited about. But what if your job offer isn't all you had it cracked up to be? What if you want just a little more to make that deal extra sweet?

Let's start at the application process. When applying for jobs you are often faced with the dreaded salary question! Uh oh! What do you say? You don't want to low ball it and get less than what you want but you don't want to over shoot and loose out on the job. Do some research first. Use tools like LinkedIn or Indeed to compare salaries for similar roles in your area. Decide what you think your time, experience and skills are worth.

Even in the interview be sure you take the time given to ask them questions. You want to be sure that you fully understand what sort of compensation comes with this role. Is if a permanent role or a contract role? Do benefits start right away or only kick in after four months? These are all important details that the interview panel should be happy to share with you. Remember to have the mind set that they need to impress you just as much as you need to impress them. First impressions are mutual in an interview.

If you leave an interview not fully loving the role or the organization, that is okay! Few people know you can withdraw your candidacy and do not need to provide a reason. If the salary, job description or people you met with just aren’t what you had in mind, you are not forced to go any further in the process.

Once you have been given an offer you never want to scream out YES!!! before they have even finished the details. Ask for a day or two to consider their offer. Go over every word of those documents. Be sure you fully understand what they are willing to provide to you. Ask questions, have a friend or a family member read the offer, compare to others. Sometimes you may think you have been offered a great deal but compared to other organizations it could fall short.

Most employers budget for a counter offer. If the salary is way off from your expectations, then this may not be the role for you. But if you would like just a few thousand more than go for it. If you don't ask you don't get.

Remember that you can negotiate more than just salary. I have received counter offers for increased vacation time, work from home days and even title changes. Counter offer with whatever is most important to you.

I have heard that some people view counter offers and negotiating as greedy and impolite for a job offer. This is most certainly not the case. Counter offering is very common these days. I am usually surprised if someone doesn’t counter offer.

To wrap up, remember these few points:

• Know your worth going into the process
• Ask questions, understand the organization and the role
• Take time to consider the offer
• Negotiate more than just salary
• Accept whatever will make you happy!

All in all, remember that you are of great value to this company. They know that your skills and experience will be a great asset to their team. Don't go over board but be sure you are happy with what you are signing. The most important piece is to ensure that you are happy with your role and your career path. This is where you will be spending the majority of your day, five days a week. You need to be content.

Happy negotiating!