Today's economy is the basis of a lot of concerned feelings toward salary negotiation these days. But the reality is that if you do it right, salary negotiation is not inappropriate. But to do it right, you need to brush up on some very specific areas in the salary negotiation process.
The key to being a part of an appropriate salary negotiation is knowing your own value, and being capable of substantiating that value. Not everyone who is offered a job is just qualified. Some will be closer to over-qualified, and to be realistic, OIT students can often prove that they qualify for a job that requires a bit more experience than entry-level.
Why is that? Well, OIT's curricula focus heavily on practical application of what our students learn. The time that our DMS students spend in lab scanning can be equivalent to some experience in the industry scanning. The time our CSET students spend working in a team to develop a product for a client can carry that same significance. Mechanical and Manufacturing students can boast as well about their time spent working on projects for clients. This is the bulk of your worth. Being able to relate your experience as a student at OIT to the qualifications for the job is a very useful tool in salary negotiation.
Another useful tool is a general understanding of the market for people in your industry. How much are other entry-level employees making? Does the trend over the past few years show an increase in starting salary or a decrease? And most importantly, how does your experience level put you above or below what you were offered, with this in consideration?
Do more research than you think is necessary. In my field, technology changes very rapidly, and new technologies pop up often. Knowing that a company is about to release a new product from a department that you are slated to work in means that you are now negotiating for a job that is in high demand. To advance the technology, the company needs you. Knowing that sort of information gives you a little more wiggle-room. If a Doctor offers you a job working in his office, and you know that he just bought a new piece of equipment which you used directly in your lab, again, you now have some wiggle-room in the salary offer. Use research as another tool to assist you in backing any sort of negotiation you'd like to do.
Be creative in finding ways to substantiate your worth, and always know what you're shooting for. It can't hurt to try if you do it right.
With that said, there are very well defined ways to "do it right". Always keep in mind that most hiring managers have a limit to what they can offer you, and if they can't offer you a higher starting salary, sometimes they can offer you other benefits on the side. Then there's the odd case that there is no room for negotiation. But if you don't try it, you won't find out now, would you?
Before you even bother bringing up the idea of salary negotiation, you have to establish with the hiring manager that you are grateful for the job offer. From there you can ask if there is any flexibility in the offer that has been presented. Once you see your options, it's time to break out the tools and start carving a path for yourself in the negotiation. You need to have prepared for this before hand. Opening negotiations and then taking your time to do your part would be a huge turn-off in any negotiation, and when there's a large pool of candidates qualified for your job, some companies can get impatient.
On the other hand, remember that the hiring manager's job isn't to screw you out of a job, it's to help you be successful in the job they've offered you. They'd rather negotiate with you than have the offer turned down, because they've probably spent some serious time narrowing the candidate list down.
Of course, be polite! Being a jerk will never get you anywhere unless you're a CEO. That's a joke, but it's true. If you keep your cool, lay out your side of things, and allow the other side to do some work, you could very likely end up with an employment deal that you really like, given that the hiring manager has more to offer.
Remember, there are two hugely important things you need to be proficient at when considering a salary negotiation. You need to know your worth in relation to the company you're going to work for and the job you've been offered, and you need to be able to communicate those things throughout the negotiation in a way that doesn't corner or put-off your hiring manager. But at the same time, remember that you could just as easily come out of a negotiation in the same position as you went into it.
