6 proven ways to successfully negotiate a higher salary

Job burnout, bad bosses, high work stress, and lack of growth prospects are some of the possible reasons for leaving a job. Some people also hop from one job to another in search of new skills or promotions. However, most people change jobs for better pay. Money matters, after all.

However, negotiating one’s salary well is not easy. In fact, talking about money is something that can sometimes make even the most confident people feel uneasy. Doing it successfully, therefore, requires knowing the right technique of going about it and having a clear sense of what one really wants.

Here we look at some simple but smart ways of negotiating one’s salary confidently:

# Self appraisal

The first thing you need to do is to go for self appraisal, determine your worth and then set your expectations realistically. For, asking for too much can give the impression that you do not understand the job and the market, while settling for too little won’t be good for you and may also cause disappointment in the long run. So, you must have a realistic expectation of the appropriate salary for the position, given your skill set and the level of responsibility.

# Avoid talking about salary at the beginning of the interview

After you have developed adequate skill set for a job and has also fixed your worth, you should be ready to discuss your salary during the interview. However, one of the most important aspects of salary negotiation is that the candidate must not broach the subject of salary at the beginning of the interview. For, the interviewer may feel that the only reason for the candidate to change the job is the financial aspect.

# Be honest and transparent

Many times the interviewer would ask about the salary expectations. In case he/she doesn’t and the candidate is sure that he/she would like to work for the organization, there is no harm in politely asking them about the compensation being offered. The interviewee, however, must be honest and transparent. There is nothing wrong in expressing your expectations but of course, it must match the industry trend.

# Seek clarity on job profile

Another important aspect that one must keep in mind is to seek enough clarity on the job profile. This is very important because during the course of the interview, the candidate can get intricate information on the role, responsibilities, expectations from the role, key deliverables, reporting structure, span of control, career prospects and how it is going to impact the company. If you are being given more responsibilities, you also deserve better pay.

# Be prepared for performance-based incentives

As one goes up in organization hierarchy, there is a lot of emphasis on performance and as a result of which, a professional set-up would focus on performance-based incentives which could range between 20% and 30%. One should take it in one’s stride as this will exhibit that the candidate is a positive individual with self belief that if one delivers the result, there would be the possibility of receiving higher percentages.

# When approached by another company

Have you been approached by another company? If yes, you can definitely expect a higher salary because that company is aware about your skills and needs you at any cost. So why not look for more?