RE: Getting what I'm worth

Subject: RE: Getting what I'm worth
From: kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2001 05:24:53 -0700

I have to say, it sounds like you have a great job. To me, salary is a
large part of how I evaluate how satisfied I am with a job, but it?s not
the only part. All jobs are NOT created equal - I?m willing to be flexible
in exchange for things like an easy commute, flexible hours, a pleasant
cube or office, a cool boss, an interesting specialty, etc.

So first I would suggest that you look at your overall level of job
satisfaction, and compare it to what else you think is available in your
area. Because when you get ready to do hardball negotiations, one of the
options is that you may end up walking out.

Unfortunately, when you accepted the job, you not only established a
salary; you established a "tone of negotiation," for lack of a better
phrase. In other words, you showed them how strong (or weak) a negotiator
you are, and have set their expectations. That will be a tough mold to
break out of.

All the responses I?ve seen to your post are correct ? non-profits DO pay
less, and the time to set salary expectations is when you accept the job.

So what can you do? By all means document your achievements, and prepare a
good case for yourself. But I think your hopes for a 13% raise might be a
bit of a pipe dream. When it comes to raises, it seems like there is even
LESS room for negotiation, so you probably won?t have a real opportunity
to negotiate (other than quitting). Usually, they just tell you what your
new salary is, and you thank them.

Bottom line: Better luck next time.

I do NOT mean that in a flippant way. But next time, you need to put REAL
effort into negotiating your starting salary. Buy some books. Follow their
advice. Even when it feels scary or awkward. Negotiation IS scary and
awkward. But fortunately, it?s also usually a brief process. A day or two
of hell can net you years of heavenly salaries!

Books like ?Knock ?Em Dead? by Martin Yate and ?Negotiating Your Salary:
How to Make $1000 a Minute? by Jack Chapman have been very helpful to me.
There are tons of similar books. But you have to FOLLOW the advice in
these books. For the faint-hearted, the techniques in these books will NOT
feel natural to you; therefore you'll need to rehearse and prepare. It's
crucial to be prepared, because you?re going into battle. But don?t worry
- it will all be over soon.

Neglecting to develop your negotiating skills is just as bad as neglecting
to develop your technical skills, writing skills, or tool skills. Maybe
even worse. After all, you CAN learn FrameMaker after you accept the job,
but you probably CAN'T radically alter your salary after you accept it.

Good luck!

-Keith Cronin

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