Know your worth: Engaging in salary negotiations with an employer
October 23, 2024
“What are your expectations for salary in this position?” Anyone who has been asked this question has likely struggled with the best way to answer. Asking for too little could be seen as having a lack of confidence, but asking for too much could be seen as greedy. While there is no perfect answer to this loaded question, there are some ways to prepare yourself to have the conversation with an employer in a productive and respectful way.
Do your research
To ensure you feel prepared to engage in a conversation about salary, it is important to do some research to look at comparable roles. After years spent working in fundraising, strategy and innovation, and teaching, Meredith Best believes solid research is an invaluable first step in the preparation process: “You will be able to speak more confidently if you’ve done your research ahead of time. This not only means looking at the salary of other similar roles, but also understanding the sector. While the core responsibilities might be the same in a specific type of job, the salary range can vary widely. Having worked in the non-profit, private and public sectors, I can attest to the differences I’ve observed in salary that have impacted my approach.” While it isn’t an exact science, there is typically enough information available, whether through online research or connecting with others in your network, to allow you to form a base-level understanding of what a fair salary would be.
Your research will also be impacted by how transparently salary is shared in the organization you’re engaging with, whether you’re aiming to move into a new role or looking for a raise in your current one. The culture of the organization, ranging from full to partial to limited transparency, will always be a factor. A transparent organization might include salary in their postings for new employees or have ranges available for current employees. Of course, the more transparent the better when it comes to pay, but don’t be discouraged if you have very little to go from. By doing some research in advance, you will feel more confident entering any type of discussion.
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