Negotiate Your Way to $190K
Last year we partnered with a COO who was searching for a more meaningful role. They enjoyed working with us and graciously referred several other professionals our way. (The biggest compliment, in our opinion.)
One of those people was an absolute rockstar PMO leader. This person was incredible. Smart, articulate, and kind, with a solid reputation for getting things done.
We worked together to define the right messaging, a killer resume, and a fully optimized LinkedIn profile and then kept in touch over their entire 13-month job change journey.
When the offer finally came, it was one of 2: one at $150K and one at $180K.
Here’s how they took those offers and cashed in on a base salary that was much higher than they would have settled for.
Mindset
We know the job market is rough right now. If you’re among the many candidates sending applications to hundreds of places and hearing little to nothing back, you might be feeling frustrated and maybe even desperate.
But, you’ve got to keep your eye on the prize and the prize is your fair market value. You are not worth less than your salary expectations. You will find a job that will pay you what you’re worth. Don’t accept or go after anything less than that.
We coached the client to recognize and hold on to their value. After a while of job hunting, they got tired and wanted to lower their salary expectations to have more options. But, this was a short-term solution that wouldn’t be viable in the long term. We encouraged our client to keep their salary expectations high to ensure long-term success in their new job.
If you accept less than what you deserve, you’ll find yourself back in the job market sooner than you want.
Lowering your expectations will keep you dissatisfied in your career. Keep your expectations high, and focus on your value, if you want to find meaningful work.
Be Selective
In a job hunt, you might be willing to say yes to anything. But, not everything will fit with what you want. To succeed in the job hunt, you’ve got to be laser-focused on what you want including pay, benefits, culture, and responsibilities.
We worked with the client to narrow down their interests and define what their ideal work environment would look like. Then we helped them create a list of companies that would align with their values, interests, and skills.
This helped them focus their job applications and networking efforts. They could say no to companies that didn’t align with their needs, even going so far as to decline offers.
Knowing what you want puts you in a position of power. And in the job hunt, it’s important to grab onto any power you can find.
Negotiation
Once the offers finally came, we encouraged the client to take a few days to review the offers. In this case, the lower offer came first. The client was able to use that offer to encourage the other company to move faster and they presented a more competitive offer.
You might be inclined to accept the second offer right away. But, ABN: Always Be Neogitating.
We coached the client to call, not email, the hiring manager, to discuss the offer. The client thanked them for the offer and said they expected an offer closer to $190K.
Then, the client stopped talking. Silence is an important part of the negotiation process.
To negotiate, you have to appear confident. Don’t second-guess yourself. Finish your sentences with periods. Ask for what you want and then let the hiring manager consider your request.
The hiring manager responded with, “Yeah, I was thinking that too” and revised the offer.
We offer free salary negotiation for all of our clients. Even if we haven’t talked in months, clients can always reach out and discuss an offer with us.
We love this part – helping you get paid and celebrating your new opportunity.
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