How to negotiate your best job offer

When you get to the offer stages of a job application, it’s almost time to celebrate. But salary negotiations can be difficult to navigate. You may be wondering when the right time is to ask about compensation, how to calculate your worth in the job market, and what is the best way to communicate your salary expectations. To help job seekers feel prepared and confident when entering negotiations for a new job, Devex hosted a digital event featuring insights from Stephanie Mansueto, a social impact job hunting coach and a principal recruiter with Abt Associates. She offered strategies and practices for all stages of the negotiation process, including the importance of taking stock of what really matters to you in terms of all that a new job can offer, which is a process worth starting in the early stages of a job hunt. “This goes beyond just the compensation negotiations or the comp package. It can be … a position title, the responsibilities [or] the upward mobility that you might have access to,” Mansueto said. She also addressed some common myths about the negotiation process that could help you better navigate your next offer. Here are a few key takeaways from this portion of the event. Employers don’t have all the power “If you leave this presentation [and] don't remember anything else, remember that you've got more power in a negotiation than you realize,” Mansueto said. Job seekers often go into a negotiation thinking that they do not have any leverage, she added, but, in fact, if you reach the offer stage of the recruitment process, the reality is that “they want you. They like you. They want to hire you,” she said. This should help empower job seekers to seek the compensation they believe they deserve rather than accept whatever is offered. You’re not greedy for broaching the topic In Mansueto’s experience, job candidates are often uncomfortable bringing up salary in the early stages of a compensation, because they don't want the prospective employer to think that they are being greedy, or that it's only about the money. “You're not doing a job for free. Of course, the money matters and we want you to bring up salary early on,” Manseuto said. “It's why you're going to be seeing or having experiences where recruiters or hiring managers are asking you what your salary expectations or your desired salary is earlier on in the recruiting process.” However, the cultural context should be kept in mind. While organizations based in the United States and other Western countries may expect these conversations to occur early, it is still considered taboo in other regions to be as vocal about salary expectations, Manseuto said. Consider consultation with fellow coworkers For those seeking new roles within the same organization, it may be helpful to speak with trusted colleagues, especially those with more extensive experience, about salary expectations. Again, the regional and cultural context matters, but for many, it is typically safe to be transparent with coworkers about your current salary. For example, in the U.S., it is illegal for a company to terminate somebody over such a discretion. “You just want to be mindful that you're not sharing your coworker’s salary, so just make sure it's not turning into a gossip session. But I do encourage people to have those conversations,” Manseuto said.