Negotiating Your Salary During the Job Interview.

It’s definitely a mistake to bring up salary until there’s an indication you are wanted for the job. Then be prepared.

Participate in Structuring the Process

Find ways to make the negotiation more fair and objective. When discussing salary, bring benchmarks to show what others in your position in your industry are earning. Use comparisons, studies, and surveys to help make your point. Don’t let the opposition make all the rules. You make rules more favorable to your position.

Bolster Your Arguments with Specifics Of Your Accomplishments

One of the most basic elements of your success will be knowing “how to toot your own horn”. You should have an easily accessible collection of all the articles written about you, any special projects, awards, videos of your presentations. Anything which identifies your unique selling points and capabilities; anything which demonstrates how you stand out from the crowd should be on hand to impress the person you are talking with that your would be an asset to their company.

Use a range of salaries

Don’t mention a spefic salary, use a range, with the low end somewhat higher than you are looking for. What you are trying to do is frame expectations so you don’t want to start too low or be locked into one salary when a higher salary might be offered.

Don’t forget to negotiate for intangibles

Everything is negotiable. Not only should you negotiate for your salary, but for perks, benefits, title, office space and support staff, issues involving your duties, such as the need for increased manpower, authority over projects, flexibility with clients, arrangements, communication or sharing of the workload with co-workers; all these require a form of negotiation. The moment between the time a company decides they want you and the time you actually become an employee is the best moment to ask for and get some of these issues resolved in your favor.