3 Creative Tips for Salary Negotiation
Salary negotiation is the type of activity that gives us all anxiety for some reason or another. But as we gain more knowledge and practice, it doesn’t have to be. As a freelancer and occasional fun-time employee before starting up on my own, I’ve learned a lot of tactics that make my negotiations more successful and smooth. I’m here on this wonderful Wine Wednesday evening to share my top three tips with you:
Give them a range.
I’ve been told that it’s smart to ask potential employers what their appropriate salary RANGE is for any position or project. I like to turn the tables around. I never go below $30 for an hourly rate for ANY project. I usually offer an hourly rate between $30 and $70 an hour. If they say that such a range fits well for the position, I will often negotiate towards the higher end of the spectrum. If they say that the range is high for what they’re able to give, that is a good opportunity to ask about their range. If the higher end of their range is still acceptable, that gets us closer to reaching a decision. If it’s not, I tend to move on pretty quickly to other more favorable opportunities.
There’s hourly and there’s per-project.
Be open to both. Before hopping into the conversation, be sure to have a benchmark in mind for what you’d charge for your work per hour AND what you’d charge for the whole project. The latter may be hard to do not knowing all the details about how your actual work will play out. After receiving a detailed description of what the project or job will entail, a good question to ask your potential employer or contractor is: “How much do you feel the value of this project is?” If you’re happy with the amount they say and feel it will be more profitable than charging by the hour, set any necessary boundaries upfront about the work you’re willing to do for that compensation. If you’re not happy with it, you are free to say that you prefer to stick to an hourly rate.
There’s always time to circle back.
Do you feel from reading these two tips that you might have sold yourself short? That’s okay. It’s never too late to circle back with another email and be more clear about your questions and expectations. Negotiating is not necessarily a quick conversation and you can use the time between emails and calls to re-evaluate and reconsider if necessary.
This is just a preview! I will be writing a separate article featuring the advice of not just me, but the whole amazing #DataEveryone community. Would you like to weigh in on future topics? Show up on Tuesdays at 1pm ET for a riveting, data-driven discussion with peers and influencers in the field!