3 magical phrases which will help you negotiate your salary before taking up an offer

There isn’t a fool-proof guide on what to expect or what to do right when it comes to negotiating your salary. In most cases, you have to assuage the situation before opening talks on the matters and do your research on the amount you wish to claim in terms of a raise. Even when you’re a hundred percent prepared with your templates, the truth is that the outcome of your meeting with your recruitment manager completely depends on the turn the conversation takes within the room itself.

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That being said, it is always better to be prepared for any given situation, and when it comes to the matter of negotiating your salary, the need for the same is only amplified. To a certain degree hiring managers do indeed expect you to negotiate your salary. According to a recent survey held among a 1,000 employers and employees, 73 percent of employers agreed they are not offended when potential or existing employees negotiate their salaries. Furthermore, a whopping 84 percent said they always expect job applicants to negotiate salary during the interview stage. Along with this, 87 percent said they've never rescinded a job offer following negotiations during the interview and not a single employer stated that they had fired an employee for the same.

To this end, you are well within your right to request for a discussion on your salary. However, it is prudent to proceed with caution and to not come across as too demanding or arrogant in your request. To help you orchestrate these proceedings strategically, here are a few fall-back phrases which will help you when it comes to negotiating your salary:

“I think I need some more information on the profile.”

When you are asked by your recruitment manager to state your required salary, you need to play your cards carefully. By asking them to give you more information on the profile, you will be able to understand the kind of responsibilities, within or additionally, that they expect you to execute on a daily basis. On account of this you can determine a number you believe will match up to your capabilities. Once the recruitment manager complies in listing these out, you can administer a series of follow-up questions. You can then begin negotiations with this statement – “On account of the many responsibilities I will be expected to carry out as per this role, I believe we could maybe work out a slightly different amount and package- which works favourably to us both?”

“The only thing stopping me from signing is…”

While it is commonly believed that the recruitment manager holds the key to your future in his or her hands, the ball is, more often than not, in your court. Keep in mind that when the offer has been made to you and all that is required of you is to sign the contract in question you can afford to act a little pricey. This is because not only has the company selected you out of the dozens of other applicants for a reason, they would also not wish to go through the haggle of starting up the entire recruitment process for this again. If they believe you will work out to be an asset to the company in the long-run, chances are that they will compromise to get you to sign the contract.

“What is the standard salary range for someone in this position?”

It is important to ask this question before taking on an offer from any company. While you wait for them to muster up a range which possibly falls according to their own convenience, you need to have done your research on the actual salary range that the position is privy to, as per industry standards. Once they do, you can then compare the differentiation between the two ranges and gauge whether the amount being offered to you is reasonable or grossly undervalued.

Not only can these phrases help you recognise what the other side is pitching in terms of your salary, you can also use them to ask follow-up questions which will either allow you to negotiate your salary on their basis, or determine whether you should take up the offer at all!