Discussing salary and benefits is not always an easy conversation, even for accounting professionals who are accustomed to discussing numbers. You must strike the right balance between being appreciative of an offer and making sure it fairly represents your worth in the marketplace and helps you realize the primary goals of your job search. This article will offer seven tips to ensure the best possible outcome for job applicants, plus some food for thought for the partners and human-resources professionals sitting across the negotiating table from them.
1 | Know your priorities. Before you can negotiate with confidence, you need a firm grasp of what is most important to you. If you have researched the position, then you will have an idea of competitive salaries for the role. You should enter negotiations with a range in mind. Aside from salary though, many other elements of the total package can be negotiated to make the offer more attractive. These include bonuses (signing, annual, performance-based), profit-sharing and equity incentives, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, relocation assistance, job title, support of continuing education, flexible scheduling options, how the firm handles personal and family emergencies, and severance provisions. Decide which elements are most important to you. It can help to sort them into essential and nonessential categories and rank them in priority order. As long as you are not making unreasonable requests, avoid worrying too much about whether the hiring manager will be receptive to your proposals. You will not know unless you ask, and employers often are willing to approve various smaller requests in exchange for reaching a compromise on a more significant issue, such as salary.
2 | Address the employer’s needs, not just your own, as a basis for determining compensation. In negotiations, keep the focus on the employer’s needs and how you are uniquely qualified to address them. This may require you to demonstrate that the market value for someone with your experience and the ability to truly satisfy the demands of the position is higher than what the company is offering. Research financial publications, career-related Web sites, information from professional associations and resources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook and the annual Salary Guide from Robert Half International to establish pay ranges for a variety of accounting and finance positions in different geographic locations. These sources, combined with your networking contacts, can help you determine which incentives or benefits others at your level are typically receiving. You also may find specific examples that will be useful, such as evidence of recent accounting hires at a competing firm who have received signing bonuses or guaranteed salary increases over a certain period. The more facts you have on your side, the more reasonable your requests will seem. 3 | Know how much leverage you have. In addition to your research, there are other ways to gauge how much bargaining power you have. For example, if you are a CPA with compliance experience who constantly receives calls from recruiters trying to entice you to consider other opportunities, you are in a strong position to negotiate the terms you want. You should, of course, be completely truthful about this and all other information you provide. Consider, too, any pressures the prospective employer may be under. If you are interviewing for an assistant controller position at the midpoint of the fourth quarter, you can probably assume your interviewer is eager to hire someone. Even if you have significant leverage, though, be careful not to come across as unreasonable or overly confident. Remember that you are supposed to be negotiating, not making demands. Assuming an inflexible stance likely will backfire and knock you out of the running. 4 | Persuade the interviewer to name the first figure, if possible. Negotiation experts generally agree that being asked to name a specific dollar figure—whether it is what you currently are making or what you are seeking to make—is always tricky. Although you want to avoid playing games with a prospective employer, you also don’t want to disqualify yourself or sell yourself short by naming a figure that seems too high or too low. The best way around this situation is to try to get the interviewer to name the initial figure, such as the budgeted salary range for the position. If you must cite a number first, you might give a range that reflects your current and targeted salary or say something like, “I would expect a position with these responsibilities to be worth approximately $75,000 to $85,000.” This approach gives the hiring manager something to react to and builds in room for negotiating. One exception to this guiding principle applies when you’re working with recruiters: They generally need to know your salary level to gauge whether it’s in line with a potential opportunity. Keep in mind that at this stage of the negotiation process, the prospective employer already is psychologically committed to hiring you. It is now just a matter of settling on terms, and both parties usually are willing to make adjustments to strike a deal.
5 | Consider more than just money. The decision about whether to accept an offer rarely boils down to just a dollar figure. Other advantages, such as a dynamic corporate culture, professional advancement and development opportunities, the option to occasionally telecommute or a perk such as an early office closure on Fridays during the summer, may ultimately be more important than an extra $5,000 in salary. Also inquire about work/life benefits offered by the organization. Employers recognize that professionals are striving to gain greater control over their time and better balance their personal and professional priorities. As a result, flexible scheduling options are growing in popularity. In fact, a survey of chief financial officers commissioned by our company found that flexible schedules are the benefit workers value most. 6 | Understand the variable pay components. Before accepting an offer, make sure you have a solid grasp of the value of any bonus or incentive-pay aspects of your employment package. This is especially important if you are counting on variable pay making up a sizable portion of your compensation. Ask about the company’s history of awarding annual bonuses or long-term performance incentives and for specific guidelines about what you can expect in the future. For instance, inquire whether bonuses are awarded solely at the discretion of management or are triggered by the firm’s ability to hit certain targets.
7 | Remain professional. Although you owe it to yourself to push for the best possible employment package, there is no reason for the negotiations to become contentious. After all, the prospective employer thinks well enough of you to offer you a job. Be willing to meet an accommodating hiring manager halfway if at all possible. Keep in mind that establishing a good relationship is critical not only to receiving the best deal but also to laying the groundwork for a positive start with your new company. When it comes to negotiating salary, there is no substitute
for being prepared. By coming to the bargaining table with a
clear sense of your goals for salary and other elements of the
employment package, you should be able to reach a deal that is
satisfactory for both you and your prospective employer. | |||||||||||||
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