Closing the Deal
Negotiating Job Offers and Getting What You Want

Negotiating salary is something most people don't do well. Most of us are afraid to ask for too much or don't know what is negotiable. Read on to learn what to ask for when accepting a job and how to ask for what you want.

Many candidates ask, "Besides the salary, what's negotiable?" The answer is that potentially everything is negotiable. And if that's true, then what should you ask for?

First of all, what is negotiable depends on the company with whom you're interviewing. Sometimes the salary is negotiable; sometimes a sign on bonus or stock options are negotiable. Sometimes you can ask for more time off, a different title, a different start date so you can take time off between jobs, training and development opportunities, etc.

One of the keys to effectively negotiating job offers is to know what you want. As it goes in life, if you don't know what you want, you probably won't get it. That said, get very clear on two things: What the company offers and what's important to you.

Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Job:

What are the benefits?
Benefits usually include:

Time off: Vacation, sick, personal time, and national holidays

Insurance: Health, Dental, and Vision. These are often separate and cost employees varying amounts depending on the number of dependents (spouse and children) included on the insurance plan. Disability insurance to pay a portion of your salary, if you're unable to work for a period of time.

Training and development opportunities:

	Does the company provide tuition reimbursement for advanced education and if they do, what are the limitations?
	How much is offered per year?
	Is there a lifetime maximum?
	Do you have to pay back tuition reimbursement dollars if you leave the company within a year of receiving the reimbursement?
	Are you limited in the types of courses you can take or the degree you can seek? Sometimes companies will only reimburse for higher education that pertains to your current job.
	Does the company offer training internally or send employees to outside training programs?
	Will you be eligible for such training and does your would-be manager support it?

Does the company match a percentage of your contribution?

If you have a baby while at the company, will the time you take off be paid? Is the benefit the same for women and men? Is this important to you?

Stock options and/or signing bonus are often offered to more senior employees - employees with several years of work experience.

Some less typical benefits that may or may not be important to you:
A four or five week sabbatical after you have several years of service with the company. This is time off that is in addition to your normal vacation time. It can be paid or unpaid. Flexible hours, job sharing, and telecommuting - If you want to work part time, want to work from home, or work during the hours you choose.

Learning the details of what benefits the company offers can be difficult during the interview process. If this is important

Once you know the benefits, for what do you negotiate? That depends. What you ask for depends on what is important to you.

The following suggestions assumes that you want the job - you are interested in the work you'd be doing, the commute is acceptable, you like the company, and think you'll fit into the culture. If all of those conditions are true, proceed.

If you are offered a salary you think is fair and you are comfortable with the benefits, accept the job. Don't ask for more just to see if you can get it. This is a game and may diminish your relationship with your hiring manager and/or whoever is making you the offer. If you are not satisfied with the salary, ask for what you really want. Your asking price should be realistic.

How do you determine if the salary you're asking for is realistic? Every job has a price that the market will bear. Meaning, the company has determined how much they think the job is worth and what they'll pay for it. If you exceed that figure, you most likely won't be given the amount you've asked for. You can determine the typical salary range for the position by asking people who are in the same industry what such a job usually pays, or by searching for similar jobs on Monster, Hot Jobs or CareerBuilder.

If you cannot get the salary you want, ask for other things. This is where it becomes key to know the benefits the company offers and what is really important to you. Let's say that the ability to work from home once or twice a week is very important to you. That's something you can negotiate for. In fact, that flexibility may be worth more to you than a higher salary. Or let's say that you really value taking time off and the company only offers two weeks of paid vacation. Ask for three. If you're told no, you can ask for the time off unpaid. Or if you know you want to get an advanced degree or take some training, ask for money to do that. Whatever you negotiate for, ensure it is included in the terms of your offer letter.

"If I ask for more than I'm being offered, won't I offend the company? Will they retract the offer?" This is another typical question job seekers ask. The answer is no. If you make realistic requests, do so respectfully and explain why you're making those requests, you won't damage your relationship with your future employer. You may not get a yes, but they won't retract the offer.

Lastly, the time to make requests is before you accept the offer. Once you take the job or once the company knows that you plan to accept the job, you have no negotiating power. So ask for what you want before you take the job and know what your deal breakers are. If you absolutely must have three weeks off each year and the company only provides two and is not at all flexible, be prepared to walk away.

Let's review:
The keys to successfully negotiating job offers are:

	Know what you're being offered both in salary and in benefits
	Know what's really important to you and what you can't live without.
	Ask for what you really want.
	Be realistic in your expectations.
	And, if you don't get what you really need, be willing to walk away and continue your search.

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