4 Tips on How to Negotiate a Job Offer

How to Negotiate a Job Offer

Hello! It’s Kristine here with the Express to Impress podcast. This week, we’ll explore how to negotiate a job offer. If you’re looking for a new job, you won’t want to miss this episode! 

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Now, let’s begin!

You Received a Job Offer. Now What?

Getting a job offer is always a happy occasion, but before you accept one, ask for some time to consider the employer’s offer. Many people ask how to negotiate a salary, and I advise them to consider vacation time, type of contract, work hours, and other factors that matter to them.  So, if you get a job offer, I advise the same. Look at each part of the compensation package and answer the question, “Is it what I want and deserve?” 

In my online course “Job Search Strategies That Work,” I provide a handout with a list of 27 benefits you should consider as part of a compensation package. That’s a lot of benefits to consider! That’s right–it’s not all about salary!

Once you’ve considered if the offer meets your expectations, accept it or create a plan to negotiate. 

Story About a Successful Job Negotiation

Now, I’d like to tell you a short story about a client who negotiated a job offer successfully. I’ll refer to him as Brian. 

Brian was happy at his workplace but wanted to make some significant changes to his daily work duties and didn’t feel it was possible with his current employer. So, he reached out to me for help making a shift in his career. He enrolled in my most comprehensive online course, “How to Land Your Next Job.” Plus, I gave him resume, networking, and interview advice. We also worked together, envisioning what he wanted in his career and finding relevant positions. 

He had a job interview in no time flat. Of course, I recommended he listen to my episode about salary negotiation before the interview to supplement the negotiation section of my online course.  The next thing I knew, he shared an update on LinkedIn that he had been promoted to a new role at his own company!

So, what happened?! Well, Brian was successful in negotiating a great job offer with one of his company’s competitors. And when he shared the news with his current employer, they provided a generous counter offer. They created a new position for him and offered him a pay raise. He was thrilled and accepted the offer.

Here’s what Brian had to say about his experience working with me:

Kristine helps you think through the big-picture questions about your next career step while also jumping into the nuances of specific questions you may have about your next move. She moves at your pace and is there to help provide guidance whenever you hit a snag. I was able to shift from an editorial-focused career to a marketing one. I not only found a new job that was a great fit but was able to articulate it so that my current employer could make a counteroffer that met and exceeded what I was looking for.

Brian’s experience illustrates something important about the negotiation process: there are twists and turns along the way. Sometimes people get a generous counteroffer from their employer. Other times, people get offered a salary or benefits package they couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams. But usually, negotiating is not all roses. Sometimes there are disappointments and hurt feelings. If done incorrectly, you can burn a bridge during the negotiation process. Typically, there are many compromises and concessions on both sides.

Now, let’s turn our attention to how to negotiate a job offer successfully.

4 Tips on How to Negotiate a Job Offer Successfully

The four tips I’ll share with you are not a comprehensive set of instructions for a successful job negotiation. They are simply an introduction to get you off to a good start.

Settle for Good Enough

Some people wonder,

Should I negotiate salary if it’s too low? What if it’s acceptable or even a bit higher than I expected? Should I see what I can get?

My advice is that if you’re offered a salary and benefits package acceptable to you, take it! After all, if you negotiate just to negotiate, the employer may perceive you as greedy and withdraw the offer. 

However, I’ll admit, my advice is based on my personal beliefs about happiness influenced by Barry Schwartz, psychologist and author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. 

He explains that more options often prevent us from appreciating what we have and leaving us looking for more. He shares the concept of a “satisficer,” a term created by U.S. Nobel Prize-winning economist Herbert A. Simon. A satisficer identifies what is good enough and then accepts and commits to that option when it appears. No looking back! It’s good for happiness and gratitude. And, of course, it’s efficient.  

By contrast, “maximizers” continue searching for the best option even if they’re offered something that meets their expectations. Not surprisingly, it’s easy to be a maximizer in cultures where people are bombarded with many choices. But I’ve seen the downsides to being a maximizer. Many of my clients regret their decision to take a job offer, even though it seemed promising and met their expectations. They look for something better, job-hop,  and feel anxious that they’re missing out or not keeping up with their peers. And of course, they invest an enormous amount of time searching for the perfect option, which always seems elusive. Sometimes maximizers damage business relationships–for example, when they accept an offer only to withdraw it or leave a new job after the company invested tremendous resources in their onboarding process.

Be Curious and Polite

Let’s look at another important aspect of job negotiation: maintaining good relationships. One of the most important choices you have to make is the method you’ll use to negotiate. You have three options. You can meet with the employer for an in-person negotiation, speak with them over the phone, or write a counter offer letter or email. Many people ask me for advice on writing a negotiation email. Yet, I advise negotiating in person or at least through speaking over the phone or on a video call. Avoid email if possible because you can’t have a dynamic conversation. Without asking questions and getting answers on the spot, misunderstandings and hurt feelings can crop up.

And once you’re having a conversation, be reasonable and polite in all of your communication.  To do this, avoid showing shock, disbelief, or disappointment. When you feel those things, instead, ask questions to understand the situation. And throughout the process, show your gratitude for their generosity, excitement about the opportunity, and friendliness.

Prepare for a Job Negotiation

Preparation is key for a successful job or salary negotiation. You can do some research on an employer review site like GlassDoor or ask people in your professional network. You can also find out your earning potential with a customized salary estimate from salary.com. If you will graduate soon or are a recent grad, ask your school about their employer data, such as reports showing typical salaries by industry or work function. Once you have this data, you can gauge the competitiveness of a job offer. 

Counter Offer All at Once

If a job offer is unacceptable to you, decide what parts of the offer are inadequate. Then, ask for those things, all at once, indicating what is most important to you. If you try to negotiate items one at a time, the employer may feel frustrated and believe you’ll never be satisfied and withdraw the offer.  

Importantly, explain why you think you deserve what you’re asking for. After all, the company representative has to be able to justify any concessions they make for you.

Those are all of the tips in this episode on how to negotiate a job offer. To learn more about job negotiation, how to negotiate a salary offer, and how to counter a salary offer, I encourage you to enroll in one of my courses. I cover these topics in more detail in my Succeed in a Job Interview mini-course and my signature Land Your Next Job online course.

How to Write a Winning Resume

As a career coach on The Muse, I offer resume review, resume and LinkedIn Review, Job Search Strategy, a 30-minute Career Q&A, Cover Letter Writing, and Interview Coaching. 

I recently had the chance to work with Louisa on her resume, who works in the pharmaceutical sector. Here’s what she said about her experience working with me. 

Lovely to work with, quick responses, and genuinely seemed interested in doing a great job for and by me. I learned some really valuable information that will help me change the way I use my CV in the future. 

When my clients are happy, I’m happy! If you would like to book one of my services on the Muse, please visit themuse.com/coaches/kristine-knutter. 

And of course, I have to mention to all the new Express to Impress podcast listeners that I offer a 90-minute online course with guidance and templates for resumes, cover letters, and e-notes. My “How to Write a Standout Resume” course is just $49, and you can get 15% off by using the coupon code podcast15 at the checkout. After watching the videos, you will have a skill that will allow you to prepare your resume efficiently every time you decide to make a career change.

To learn more about my How to Write a Standout Resume video course and watch free lessons from it, visit my website at express-to-impress.com/courses. 

English Language Learning 

That’s all for today! Thank you so much for listening to the Express to Impress podcast. I invite you to tune in next time to learn definitions for the idioms and phrases covered in this episode. 

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