fbpx
Recruiter Reveals No. 1 Mistake Job Seekers Make in Salary Negotiations
  • Home
  • Job Search
  • Job Seekers
  • Newsletter
  • Recruiting Services
    • Recruiting Services Contact
  • About
    • About NexGoal
    • Contact Us
    • NexGoal Team Members
  • Home
  • Job Search
  • Job Seekers
  • Newsletter
  • Recruiting Services
    • Recruiting Services Contact
  • About
    • About NexGoal
    • Contact Us
    • NexGoal Team Members

Salary

  • Bob Evans
  • Job Search Tips
  • June 7, 2017

Recruiter Reveals No. 1 Mistake Job Seekers Make in Salary Negotiations

How much are you worth?

Don’t act surprised by this question—it is one you have likely contemplated each day when you walk into your place of work. It is also a question you are going to have answer to your human resources department or a recruiter when you are negotiating your salary.

Surprisingly enough, most job seekers do not know the answer to this question when they are put on the spot. Despite numerous resources available at no charge on the internet, job seekers struggle when they are asked this question, and it could be costing them—both financially and reputation wise—when they are seeking a raise or looking to negotiate salary with a new company.

To find out just how common of an occurrence this is, we recently spoke to a member of the recruiting industry who asked to remain anonymous for the sake of the company and candidates he/she works with. This recruiter detailed a recent scenario that he/she says happens all the time for us below.

“Recently, I had an applicant reach out to me about a position I am hiring for. He seemed like a good fit for the company, so I asked what salary range he wanted to be in and he gave me the strangest answer,” stated the recruiter. The recruiter shared from his applicant, “That is a question that I have wondered, as I always leave it up to negotiation. But my criteria would be to live comfortably.”

The expression on the recruiter’s face was priceless when he shared this story with me. He had given the applicant an opportunity to say exactly how much he wanted to earn, instead the applicant gave him nothing to go back to the client with. Frustrated, the recruiter said, “This is something you should write about in your next blog post.”

So, here we are.

When it comes to negotiating salary, it seems job seekers are caught in the “great in between.” On one side of things, they want to make it worth their while if they are leaving a company, but on the other side they do not want to come off as asking for too much and not have a chance to interview and prove to the recruiter/hiring manager their worth.

This presents a problem for job seekers and hiring managers, which is why I have put together three recommendations when it comes to salary negotiations for job seekers this week.

Always know your worth

This seems like it would be common knowledge, but as detailed above most job seekers are not coming to the table with an understanding of how much to ask for. To help out, you need to determine what situation you are in.

This comic perfectly depicts the internal struggle that comes with salary negotiations.

If you are a current employee at a company looking to ask for a raise after a great year and standout performance, most in the industry suggest that companies budget five percent to give their employees as a raise, but actually give them two to three percent unless they ask for more. My suggestion? Do not go too crazy and ask for a 20 percent bump, but asking for 7.5 to 10 percent does not seem unreasonable—especially if your efforts directly correlated to large revenue gains.

On the other side, if you are considering leaving a current job for a new one you need to do a little bit more work. Research the national averages for your industry and then compare them to the region you are working in. If you have to move, factor in moving costs and expenses into your decision as well.

Before you come up with a number, it is also suggested you look at the entire package being offered. If your previous employer offered a 401k and your new employer does not, that needs to be factored in, as well as relocation, profit sharing or any other benefits you were receiving or were not receiving.

Support the sale

An article from the television show “Shark Tank” a few years back broke this down the best way possible. Barbara Corcoran (one of the Sharks) said, “You’ve got to remember that asking for a raise is a sales job. It’s not about if you deserve the raise, really. It’s how well-prepared you are, how you list your responsibilities. You should even have a category called ‘above and beyond’ on responsibilities and make sure the boss knows every little thing you’re doing above and beyond. You know what, you’ve got to sell! It’s about selling.”

While this is specifically geared to those asking for a raise, it has merit toward someone discussing salary with a recruiter or hiring manager. When discussing your asking salary, support it with facts. Show them the criteria you meet for the position they are hiring for, then tell them about how you plan on elevating their company to the next level. Sell yourself!

Be confident in your ask

Going back to the recruiting example above, the inability of the applicant to convey his ask to the recruiter can be interpreted in quite a few ways, one of them being a lack of confidence. If you as an applicant are not confident enough to say “this is how much I want and why I deserve it” when you are asked that question by a hiring manager or recruiter, how are you going to respond in their work setting? What happens when a client asks you to justify the price you are asking for whatever it is you are selling?

These questions and more are going to go through the head of the person who is tasked with recommending you for a job in their company when you are not confident enough to ask for a specific number in your salary discussions. Step up to the plate and be confident.

Final Word

When it comes to salary discussions, many job seekers seem to think providing a number is frowned upon by employers and potential employers. However, that could not be further from the truth.

Knowing your worth, selling yourself properly and having confidence in your salary negotiations approach all go a long way in getting what you feel you deserve. So take the advice above from those in the industry, and prepare yourself to the best of your abilities for your next salary negotiation.

Before You Go

View Current Job Openings
Follow NexGoal on Twitter
“Like” NexGoal on Facebook
Connect with NexGoal on LinkedIn

Read More
  • Bob Evans
  • Job Search Tips
  • January 25, 2017

Is Your Career on the Top Paying Jobs for 2017 List?

Not everyone subscribes to the LinkedIn blog—but those who do are certainly ahead of the curve when it comes to receiving important updates from their team, including a new functionality on LinkedIn you may have not known existed.

If you are not signed up (or you ignore LinkedIn emails), you likely missed an important post on their blog earlier this month. The post was titled “The Highest Paying Jobs in America Based On LinkedIn Salary Data,” and can be viewed in full here.

As you may have guessed, the data is from LinkedIn—but what you likely did not know is they have a whole Salary section on their website now. As someone in tune to the career world, their Salary section is relatively new to me, so I decided to explore.

Don’t Miss This Week’s Top Job Openings!
Don’t See One in Your Area? View More 
Here!
Sales Associate – Kansas City – Start Your Career
Marketing Territory Rep – Miami- Apply Now!
Account Manager – North Carolina – Learn More About This Opportunity

When you first go to the page, you are prompted to enter a job title and location to find out how much you can expect to earn. On the next page, you are shown the Median base salary and Median total compensation for position in the area you chose.

What LinkedIn smartly does next—which helps them collect data—is asks you to submit your current salary in a private manner in exchange for free insights from LinkedIn for the next year. There is obviously a chance people could enter incorrect salary information, but it prompts you to say that you cannot change your salary after you hit submit, so it should be pretty accurate.

Once you have submitted your information, you are then taken to a page which lets you know how many LinkedIn members have shared their salary for your field in the last year, and also shows you based on region what others in different locations are making for the same role.

Disappointed to find out you are below the Median salary for your area after doing this? Never fear, LinkedIn has a section directly underneath with open jobs for your position in your area that you can apply for.

Now that you have some background on how LinkedIn gathered the data for their highest paying jobs list, let’s take a look to see if your career field (or one you aspire to be in) made the list!

The Results

It wasn’t surprising to see medical dominate the top of the list, as nine of the Top 10 were found in the medical field.

  1. Cardiologist – $356,000
  2. Radiologist – $355,000
  3. Anesthesiologist – $350,000
  4. Surgeon – $338,000
  5. Medical Director – $230,000
  6. Pathologist – $225,000
  7. Physician (general) – $220,000
  8. Hospitalist – $220,000
  9. Psychiatrist – $218,000
  10. Senior Corporate Counsel – $175,000
  11. Staff Software Engineer – $168,000
  12. Dentist – $165,000
  13. Director of Engineering – $164,000
  14. Tax Director – $161,000
  15. Director of Product Management – $160,000
  16. Patent Attorney – $160,000
  17. Anesthetist – $156,000
  18. Senior Software Engineering Manager – $155,000
  19. Global Marketing Director – $155,000
  20. Podiatrist – $150,000

Our Thoughts

I am sure the majority of us figured doctors and attorneys would dominate this list, but there were a few encouraging surprises on this list as well that could point you in a direction for a possible career switch. Medical careers continue to grow and dominate, but there are other options for job seekers to grow their earning potential.

Staff Software Engineer and Director of Engineering show that not only is the technology field paying well, but that there is upward mobility and growth opportunity for engineers in either field. Overall, it shows the importance of computer and technology and how those currently in the field can upgrade their own career path if they so choose.

Finally, the importance in developing management skills in the business field is important as well. Director of Product Management and Global Marketing Directors cracking the Top 20 at over $150,000 per year should provide some incentive for those who are just starting their business careers at the entry-level salary level.

Final Word

If you are looking to make a move in your career and explore earning more, you should consider creating a career profile and working with one of our Project Coordinators to see if they can help find you a new career opportunity you did not know existed. Our team has been receiving rave reviews, including this one!

Before You Go

View Current Job Openings
Follow NexGoal on Twitter
“Like” NexGoal on Facebook
Connect with NexGoal on LinkedIn
Get a Free Resume Critique Today!

Read More

More Articles

  • Resume Must-Haves For 2021
  • Job Searching Tips To Ignore in 2021
  • Recapping Our Top Five Articles From 2020
  • The Significance of Team Chemistry & How To Achieve It
  • Finding A Mentor & Making It Count

About NexGoal

NexGoal is a corporate recruiting firm placing athletes and job seekers with the athlete mindset in their next career.

1471 Lear Industrial Parkway Avon, Ohio 44011

1-877-2-NexGoal

Recent Articles

  • Resume Must-Haves For 2021
  • Job Searching Tips To Ignore in 2021
  • Recapping Our Top Five Articles From 2020
  • The Significance of Team Chemistry & How To Achieve It
  • Finding A Mentor & Making It Count

Search NexGoal

Connect With Us On Social!

© 2009 NexGoal. All rights reserved.

  • Contact
  • Job Search
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service