Salary Negotiation:

[mheisig]

Originally Posted by MTRedskinsFan

I've learned two key points regarding salary. Both are things I started to figure out when I earned promotions but didn't fully understand until I got into bank management.

1) The person(s) you interview w/ either want you or they don't. It's very rarely a case of "Well, we like this guy but only if he'll work for this salary and we sort of like that guy only if he'll work for..." You get the idea.

2) The second key relates directly to the first: ask for the highest reasonable salary. If management has already been given a maximum salary guideline (and you're requesting higher) they will say "Hey Jack, we really want you to come on board but can only offer you x for a salary. If they don't want you, what you asked for makes no difference.

Lastly, I don't recommend giving them a salary range. Most companies constantly look to control costs and if you give them a range they will offer you something toward the lower end. Hope this helps and good luck sir.

That's excellent advice - best on this thread so far.

Along with #1, the size and resources of the company also makes a difference. It's very different interviewing with a small business and the owner of the company because what he pays you impacts him personally. I've worked for some small companies (2-10 people) and it becomes obvious that the owners have a lot more control because obviously they're not corralled by upper management, at the same time every extra dollar that goes to you directly impacts them.

On the flip side, my most recent job is with a company of 10,000+ employees. My current boss had salary guidelines he had to work within, but it didn't matter to him personally that much what I got paid as long as I worked there. He got me on the higher end up the pay range, got me there and had me real happy when I started. On top of it, I technically wasn't eligible for a raise for 12 months, but he got me a 5% raise after 4 months. It wasn't coming out of his pocket, so whatever extra money he could throw my way only made me happier. Makes for good morale when your boss is going to bat for you to get you a little extra.