Comments on: Salary Negotiation: Make More Money, Be More Valued

By: Link love (Powered by bike rides and Brandon Boyd) | Musings of an Abstract Aucklander

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:35:59 +0000

[…] Kalzumeus, a long read (but worth a skim) on salary negotiation, with a special focus on […]

By: can we keep this between us?

can we keep this between us? — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:10:59 +0000

Thanks, some useful advice. Anything specifically for raise negotiation? I like my job but not my pay packet. I have been told I’m almost certain to be promoted in the next round (April), so could use this as launching pad. I got this job shortly after graduating and before I knew it was possible to negotiate salary, over five years ago. I’m not an engineer, but I do work in computers and I am good at my job.

By: ImpactMap

ImpactMap — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:47:33 +0000

Slightly Samurai, but a terrific, rigorous post. Definitely applies in the commercial sector. The only challenge is that when you use techniques like the above with a regular company and its employees, you feel like a Samurai in a Starbucks.

At http://www.impactmap.org we offer nonprofits software that simplifies how they design, plan, and measure mission-driven programs. As a huge generalization, people in the nonprofit sector are a joy to work with. Their goal is change (effectiveness and efficiency can always be improved), but samurai-type negotiations would be inappropriate and scary.

Thanks again.

By: Pam

Pam — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:38:54 +0000

Thanks a million times for sharing this. I started a job search shortly after I first read this, and I keep saying to myself “They’re trying to get you to compromise your position” because I constantly, constantly, am asked my salary requirements. I’ve done broken the rule on two counts (out of 10 interviews so far), one where it turned into a convo->interview->technical->hire in one sitting, and one where the guy talking is a VC himself and pushed aggressively for a number. He threw one (that I assume was a low-ball trickery), I threw a larger one back.

Thanks for posting this. A million.

By: NotPeter

NotPeter — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:59:14 +0000

Let me make a “theoretical” example: Let’s say some guy called Peter works at a small IT company (20 people, no HR department, no hierarchy to speak off), He does a fair job (at least) and has quite a few responsibilities, but he feels he is underpaid, because it’s his first job after graduating. He’ll soon be working there for two years, and the economy (and the Euro) got mauled.

How can Peter go about asking for more money? He’s rather sure his boss (an Engineer himself, not some HR dude) will be shocked at the thought of paying higher wages at a time when the company doesn’t even make a profit due to horrible exchange rates with primary customers.

By: 4 liens rapides pour la semaine (2012-05) « La BI ça vous gagne!

4 liens rapides pour la semaine (2012-05) « La BI ça vous gagne! — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:59:19 +0000

[…] McKenzie de Kalzumeus avec un très bon article sur la négociation salariale. A lire avant vos prochains […]

By: Res

Res — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:36 +0000

Best article on the subject I’ve red so far.

There is one thing missing though. My case: Never talked about money during a day long interview. The offer letter was mailed to me later with the condition for me to take it or leave it. They made it available to me on Thursday and I had to fill out the application by Monday, or if I don’t it automatically meant refusal…

So how and when I should’ve negotiated? I did lack the experience, so even with another similar offer from other company on hand I didn’t want to risk it (was unemployed for several months already), and took the first offer.

The offer from that another company came much earlier, and was much higher, but it was far from where I live and it was only a contract job, but still…). And finally both offers had the same day as a “deadline” for accepting of leaving it.

Could’ve I done anything to get into the first company but with higher pay?

And what can I do now to negotiate a real raise, to reach market levels, taking into account that they later said that they were looking to fill this position for a year now.

By: Serge

Serge — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:25:00 +0000

In this hiring market and in this day and age there is no reason to deal with a headhunter, not if you are an engineer. Almost every opening is available through other means, and the employer will be happy to save on the middleman. There are places that do all their hiring through a recruiting agency, but these should be very low on your list.

By: David

David — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:49:27 +0000

I was curious to read this article. After Googling, the only study I could find was a simulation where people were offered 9% more [1]. It’s hard to say how that simulation carries over into a real-life scenario. I’d be interested to see any other sources on this.

[1] http://web.hbr.org/email/archive/dailystat.php?date=090811

By: Eric

Eric — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:48:46 +0000

rather than suggesting $1 to get the ball rolling, suggest $1 million.

There is a Harvard Business Review article that talks about this. Apparently people who jokingly offer ridiculously overvalued salaries in a negotiation tend to get offered on order of 20% more.