8 ways to negotiate your job offer | London Business School

How do you get the best possible package from a prospective employer without making them think twice about hiring you? Gillian Ku explains.

8 ways to negotiate your new job offer

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1. Prepare

You need to work out what’s important to you and gather information about the organisation. • Beyond salary, what are all the

issues you’d care to negotiate?• Would you prefer to be in

London making £100,000 or Paris earning €100,000?

• Who else is being considered? • What does the market look like?

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2. Think about your

salary expectations

“How much do you want?” Know the answer to this even before your interview. • Give a realistic (and optimistic)

answer • Don’t give your current salary

as the organisation may more or less meet that figure

• Sometimes, it’s better to say that you’re interested in the overall package than to answer the question directly.

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3. Don’t negotiate one

thing at a time

Negotiating one issue at a time can be a trap. You have a better chance of reaching a mutually-beneficial agreement by negotiating all the elements of your job package – say, salary and holiday allowance – together. This allows you to find trade-offs.

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4. Learn when to

stop pushing

Negotiating is a balance between pushing for what you want and pulling back before you damage the relationship. Roleplaying the situation can help. Prepare answers such as, “This job offer is exciting, but if there’s any way you can help me on this final issue I’d really appreciate it”.

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5. Keep your options open

Your greatest source of power is your alternatives. You should actively cultivate more alternatives by interviewing more broadly. Though time-consuming, you are stronger in the negotiation because you’re less dependent on this offer and can ask for more.

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6. Have a mutually

beneficial mindset

Frame what you want in the mutual interest of the two parties. If you’re asking for a higher salary, say, “I have a new family and I need to make sure I can comfortably provide for them. If not, it’s difficult to dedicate my full time and energy to this job.” This says that you’re trying to form a long-term, collaborative relationship.

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7. Involve the hiring

manager

HR may be less willing to flex your offer because they need to maintain consistency, so try and involve your new boss. Keep in mind that your new boss has interviewed and likes you, so they may be willing to flex more.

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8. Don’t act unethically

You don’t need hardball tactics like coming in with a sky-high first offer. Doing so could jeopardise your reputation. Don’t lie about your current salary either. Your new employer will ultimately find out the truth. If you’re evading a question, make that clear. Gamesmanship is widely accepted, acting unethically is not.

Gillian Ku is an Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School.

The full blog post was published on London Business School Review.

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