Never, Ever Make This Mistake Negotiating an Offer

Never, Ever Make This Mistake Negotiating an OfferNever, Ever Make This Mistake Negotiating an Offer Negotiating a job offer is challenging. Theres pay, benefits and schedules to talk through - and having so many details to discuss can leave room for a lot of errors. But theres one mistake you can make when negotiating a job offer that is much worse than any other - and thats not knowing your worth - and fighting for it, says David Wiacek , a certified professional career coach and resume writer.The single most common mistake I come across with my clientele - mostly entry-level, and middle management, but, yes, even senior leadership - is approaching it from a place of fear or desperation, which often results in folks under-selling and under-valuing themselves, and asking for less money than what they deserve, he says.And of course, if you make the mistake of not knowing your worth, it skews the entire process in the favor of the employer, and results in less earning potential, Wiacek explains.So, why do so many people make this mistake? The fear often arises from desperation - as in, I hate my current job and need to leave, and therefore I should settle for whatever salary is presented without ruffling any feathers, Wiacek says. Whats more, some candidates use their previous salary as the measuring stick for their new job offer - but if your previous company underpaid its employees, that pay is a detrimental measuring tool, Wiacek says.But dont worry You can easily avoid making this mistake. Like anything else, negotiating a salary is a skill you can hone.First, find out what youre worth. You can use Glassdoors Know Your Worth tool to get an accurate estimate of what other professionals in your field and region are paid. Next, come up with a list of things you bring to the table that prove your worth beyond the market figures you uncover.Much of my client work is focused on getting clients to think objectively about the value the y bring to the table, says Wiacek. During an interview, and all the way through to the salary negotiation, your emphasis ought to be on what you can tangibly improve, mostly because youve improved things under similar challenges before.If you can prove your worth throughout the process, negotiating your salary will be easier.Then, practice negotiating With practice, youll develop confidence. And showing that you are assertive and can stick to your guns, and youve done the industry market research, and you know your value, is compelling in its own right, explains Wiacek. The assertiveness is a form of confidence, and employers want to hire confident, decisive employees. This skill will drive all sorts of success, whether internally focused at the company or externally.Of course, if youve flubbed negotiating your salary and undersold yourself, all is not lost. Yes, it will be tough to backpedal and ask for more money, but there is no rule book that says you cant do this, says Wia cek, who suggests approaching a re-negotiation by saying, After careful consideration of the scope of this role, and what Ive learned through the interview process, as well as additional research Ive conducted into industry salaries, Im confident that I can offer much more value to your company and that Im worth $XYZ.And, if you cant get a company to budge on salary, be sure to have a few other benefits in your back pocket that you can negotiate. Maybe youd value an extra week of vacation, or flex time, or working from home two days a week, or some other hard or soft benefit, says Wiacek. Do the research, identify whats most important to you, and be willing to budge until youre not in other words, have some hard limit after which you wont take the offer.