There’s an old adage in salary negotiations that you should never accept the first offer, but that’s not always the case. Harvard Business Review spoke with author Jeff Weiss about a simple way to figure out if you should try to negotiate or not.
Photo by Thomas Galvez
The fact is, sometimes hiring managers actually do offer you the best they can and if you try to negotiate, you might end up rubbing them the wrong way. So, Weiss suggests asking for a bit more information about how the number was reached and moving from there:
Sure, much of the time there is an opportunity to negotiate, but some hiring managers genuinely give you the only number they can offer. The best way to find out, says Weiss, is to inquire. And don’t just say, “Is that number negotiable?” but dig into what went into calculating the figure. Weiss suggests asking: Where did the number come from? What did you count as my years of experience? “There are many companies that don’t want you to negotiate but that doesn’t mean you don’t come back with questions,” he says. “If an offer is made, there is an opportunity to explore and expand it.”
With that, you should be able to figure out if there’s wiggle room for negotiation. From there, you can follow some of our tips to get what you want.
Setting the Record Straight on Negotiating Your Salary [Harvard Business Review]
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