Landing a stable, permanent job at a reputable company is undoubtedly the most arduous part of one’s professional life. Once that crucial step has been accomplished, learning to thrive in the workplace and role feels exciting and possibly relaxing.

Through this short quiz, you can Test Your Knowledge to decide how prepared you are to initiate a negotiation. With a few key strategies in place, you could be looking at a new salary range and benefits from your employer in no time.

As time passes and as comfortability levels increase, however, most rational employees will begin to consider their salaries. You might start comparing your salary to peers who are making more than you. You might even feel that you have far surpassed the work expected of you, resulting in significant profits and advantages for the company. Even apart from performance-related reasons, the weightiness of inflation likely begins to creep in. You start to realize that both your needs are more than what you’re currently making.

The Challenges of asking for what you deserve

Suddenly, those feelings of stress and limbo from job hunting become a partial reality again as you begin to stress over the idea of negotiation. Fortunately, salary negotiation has the potential to be an ideal scenario for everyone. Rather than having to fight to land a job in the first place, realize that you now have ground to stand on. The hardest part has already been accomplished in terms of getting your foot in the door with your employer. The company now knows you well and has seen the benefits of having hired you. Not only that, but all companies are well accustomed to their employees asking for raises, routine or not.

Prepare for the negotiating table

Even though the company will likely be more than happy to entertain a discussion with someone looking for a raise, it doesn’t mean that you should simply waltz into that negotiation without preparation. There are ways to have the upper hand in the negotiation, but thorough research ahead of time and proper negotiation etiquette are both imperative.

 

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Grace Boone has always loved to write. As an English major at Florida State University, her love of learning, reading, and writing took off. She's held a number of different positions, giving her a well-rounded view of the world.