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.
What should you research before beginning the process of salary negotiation?
- How the company is doing financially in order to best gauge what kind of raise you should aim for
- What other people in the company make, from hourly workers to upper management
- What the going market rate is for the position you currently hold
- What the company’s salary caps currently are
Once you’ve researched ahead of time, what is the most effective way to begin a salary negotiation as an employee?
- You should start with a lower offer to leave room for negotiation, knowing the company will be more likely to grant you what you’re asking
- You should begin with a higher target salary range since that is the best way for the company to then negotiate with you, leaving you room to most likely secure a raise regardless
- You should accept whatever initial offer the company gives you since countering could result in you losing out on any sort of raise
- Instead of presenting your target range, you should ask about what the company’s ranges are regarding raises and bonuses to start the discussion
In the world of negotiation, what does anchoring mean?
- Anchoring refers to the process where an employee presents an initial salary number in order to set the tone for negotiation right off the bat
- Anchoring is when the employer provides a range that the company is willing to offer to set bounds for the negotiation
- Anchoring is when the company doesn’t grant the employee’s initial salary request but ultimately grants a slightly lower than asked for offer
- Anchoring happens when an employee uses a salary range as leverage by telling the employer that they will leave if they don’t grant them the desired range
What is the best way for an employee to respond to an offer that is lower than expected?
- Use the low offer to try and obtain better benefits or advantages from the company
- The employee should reject the low offer and end the negotiation
- It’s best to accept whatever offer the company presents in order to avoid conflict
- Counteroffer to the employer with a higher salary
How can an employee best justify their desired salary range?
- They should reference both professional and personal reasons as it could evoke more compassion from the employer
- They should focus on highlighting their skills, strengths and qualifications
- They should use the current industry standards as leverage for the requested range
- They should revolve their range around the company’s budget and finances
What should you research before beginning the process of salary negotiation?
- How the company is doing financially in order to best gauge what kind of raise you should aim for
- What other people in the company make, from hourly workers to upper management
- What the going market rate is for the position you currently hold
- What the company’s salary caps currently are
Once you’ve researched ahead of time, what is the most effective way to begin a salary negotiation as an employee?
- You should start with a lower offer to leave room for negotiation, knowing the company will be more likely to grant you what you’re asking
- You should begin with a higher target salary range since that is the best way for the company to then negotiate with you, leaving you room to most likely secure a raise regardless
- You should accept whatever initial offer the company gives you since countering could result in you losing out on any sort of raise
- Instead of presenting your target range, you should ask about what the company’s ranges are regarding raises and bonuses to start the discussion
In the world of negotiation, what does anchoring mean?
- Anchoring refers to the process where an employee presents an initial salary number in order to set the tone for negotiation right off the bat
- Anchoring is when the employer provides a range that the company is willing to offer to set bounds for the negotiation
- Anchoring is when the company doesn’t grant the employee’s initial salary request but ultimately grants a slightly lower than asked for offer
- Anchoring happens when an employee uses a salary range as leverage by telling the employer that they will leave if they don’t grant them the desired range
What is the best way for an employee to respond to an offer that is lower than expected?
- Use the low offer to try and obtain better benefits or advantages from the company
- The employee should reject the low offer and end the negotiation
- It’s best to accept whatever offer the company presents in order to avoid conflict
- Counteroffer to the employer with a higher salary
How can an employee best justify their desired salary range?
- They should reference both professional and personal reasons as it could evoke more compassion from the employer
- They should focus on highlighting their skills, strengths and qualifications
- They should use the current industry standards as leverage for the requested range
- They should revolve their range around the company’s budget and finances
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.