Get the Promotion and Salary You Deserve

Negotiating Basics

Negotiating is a learned skill that can be refined over time. The best negotiators have an inherent ability to insulate themselves from the natural emotions most of us feel during a salary negotiation. But most importantly, they are still able to exhibit compassion and empathy, all while leading the conversation through difficult topics.

For most of us, conversations involving money may be intertwined with adrenalin, emotion, and sometimes stress. It’s natural. Financial stability plays a significant factor in the trajectory of our life-long earnings and financial freedom.

Employers need to understand the candidate they wish to hire and what is driving that person’s interest in making a change. It can be the almighty dollar, the benefits package, or the opportunity to grow their career or take it in a new direction. It might be an improved work life balance or a simple change of scenery. 

The job seeker needs to understand her or his primary drivers and expectations, as well as those of the company, to present their case and tie things up with an agreement that is a true win-win for both sides.

Either side of the equation (employee or hiring manager) for me has always been a dreaded emotional experience.

Read my column in Women Riders Now