Step 12 of 21: Job Offer Negotiation Tips for Successful Salary Discussions Artwork

The FlexJobs Podcast: Career Advice & Job Search Tips

Remote job search tips and career advice from FlexJobs.FlexJobs is a job board highlighting only the best remote, hybrid, and flexible schedule jobs ranging from entry-level to executive, freelance to full-time, and local to global. Our team of trained researchers hand-screens every job listing to ensure legitimacy.In 2007, FlexJobs founder and CEO - Sara Sutton - was looking for something better after losing her full-time job. She was already seven months pregnant with her first child and needed something that was going to be flexible but still help further her career. That’s when the idea for FlexJobs came: A site where job seekers could find professional-level work-from-home jobs, without the ads, scams or junk found on other sites.Subscribe to this podcast to get inside tips from our career experts on how to find and land a remote job. FlexJobs - Find A Better Way To Work. https://www.flexjobs.com/

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The FlexJobs Podcast: Career Advice & Job Search Tips

Step 12 of 21: Job Offer Negotiation Tips for Successful Salary Discussions

August 15, 2023 • FlexJobs • Season 2 • Episode 12

In Step 12 of the "Mastering Your Job Search" series, we tackle the crucial topic of negotiating a job offer and discussing salary. This step aims to equip you with valuable tips and insights to navigate the often stressful and complex process of negotiating your compensation.

Important Links:
• How to Negotiate Salary for a Flexible Job: https://bit.ly/3QrEpBD
• 6 Salary Negotiation Tips to Get the Compensation You Deserve: https://bit.ly/43PSVWz
• 11 Tips to Help You Evaluate a Job Offer: https://bit.ly/47rylPF
• FlexJobs Webinar | How to Get the Salary You Deserve: https://youtu.be/1vx4B5JCx1A

FlexJobs is a subscription service for job seekers that features flexible and remote jobs. With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a 4.7 rating from over 10,000 reviews, FlexJobs ensures that customers have a safe and positive remote job searching experience - without the ads, scams and junk found on other job sites.

FlexJobs | Find A Better Way To Work

Welcome to step number 12! Now it’s time to cover the topic of negotiating a job offer and discussing salary. This can be a stressful and confusing aspect of the job search process, but hopefully these tips can help you improve your negotiation skills.

Oftentimes, in the negotiation phase, we can have an idea of what we would like to be paid, but as we discussed in the previous step, it is important to do your homework in preparation for the salary conversation.

Equipping yourself with knowledge and insights from your research on websites such as Salary.com, PayScale.com, and Glassdoor.com will give you crucial information that you need to intelligently discuss and negotiate a salary. It will not only give a sense of the average pay for your industry or profession, but often can reveal the salary that others have made at the specific company that you are negotiating with.

It’s important to not just rely on what you’ve been paid in the past as a benchmark, because it may or may not be an accurate indicator of a target salary you should expect, and at times could cause you to leave money on the table.

So, how do we have this important conversation with a potential employer?

Typically, the employer will initiate the conversation at some point in the process… As the salary conversation starts, be sure not to immediately offer a pay range that would be acceptable for you because they might quickly target the bottom of that range. Instead, you want to give an indication that you are willing and interested in negotiating.

If they ask you what your salary requirements are, you may want to ask a question such as, “what salary range have you paid someone in this position in the past” or, “can you help me understand the entire compensation package including benefits?” This can slow the conversation and give you time to consider everything more closely.

If a potential employer presents an offer to you, consider these very important points:

Make sure that you understand the entirety of what is included. Beyond the wage, the benefits offered with the position should also be considered as the total compensation package. These additional perks will likely have an impact on your decision.
Remember to remain calm, composed, and respectful in your negotiations. Understand and remind yourself that this is a dialogue meant to come to a mutually beneficial decision.
If their offer seems low, you may want to ask a question such as, “is that number negotiable?”
Utilizing the information from your research, negotiate with an understanding of what a typical pay range is for that role. As you do, offer succinct examples of your value and what you will bring. For instance, examples of your quality work, traits, and potential for a positive impact.

In a salary negotiation, some level of compromise from both you and the employer is likely necessary. Know what your bottom dollar is in terms of compensation and keep your eye on orchestrating a deal that is right for both you and the employer. Take a look at the resources in the description below for more tips on salary negotiation!