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In business negotiations, that rule is often true. You can lose big by
quoting a salary figure that is significantly lower than what the employer
has in their budget for the position. If someone tells me they'd like to get
40K and I was expecting to pay 60K, then their letter of offer is for sure
going to have a figure that is closer to 40 than 60. But I won't offer 40 if
our range for that position is 52 to 60; I'll offer 52, if I think that
individual has the correct qualifications and experience for that level.
That's why it's important to know what the salary ranges are for your area,
job level, and industry. However, you can state salary expectations without
specifying a figure. Employers do not want to have a candidate play coy with
them "you tell me, no you tell me, no you tell me first". At least say that
you're open to offers and willing to negotiate on anything.
If I really want a particular candidate, I will find money in my budget
somewhere to be able to hire this person, if I think they are worth it. What
delights me is an applicant who says "I know the range for a position like
this is around XX - YY dollars. More important to me than the money, are the
opportunities for [insert your favorite here - training, personal growth,
working with a great team, having meaningful work, etc...] and other forms
of compensation." They might also say that because of their specific
experience, they would expect to be in the middle or upper part of that
range, with merit raises as they prove their abilities.
You can't negotiate with someone who doesn't give you information to work
with. A good negotiation takes the needs of both parties into account, and
comes to a figure that both are happy with _without having to compromise
their needs_.
--Beth
Beth Agnew
Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
Toronto, ON 416-491-5050 x3133 http://www.tinyurl.com/83u5u
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-118812 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-118812 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]On Behalf Of Phil
Gochenour
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 9:38 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: salary for entry level position...
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got from a CEO was, "whoever names a
number first, loses."
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