Salary talks can stir emotions, so it pays to do your homework
Keep emotions out of salary negotiations, experts advise
By Joan Axelrod-Contrada, Globe Correspondent, 11/27/2005
Maybe the term "talking turkey" came about because negotiating a salary is a lot like cooking a bird: You don't want to overdo it or underdo it. Pushing for too much money can alienate the employer, while accepting too low a salary can be hurtful to the worker. Employment specialists say careful planning can help you create an equitable deal.
"I've seen people make the mistake of being too soft or too hard," says Marcie Schorr Hirsch,a principal of the consulting firm Hirsch/Hills Associates in Belmont. "They're either too wimpy, or they go in like bullies."
Employment specialists generally recommend that you wait for employers to raise the issue of salary so that you don't come across as more interested in the pay than the job itself. Before you go in for an interview, they say, research salaries for jobs in your field (online resources include www.salary.com and http://bostonworks.boston.com/salary/). And know your priorities. These steps, they say, can help you operate from knowledge rather than emotion.
"Salary raises a lot of emotional issues," says Rita Allen, head of her own career management firm, Rita B. Allen Associates, in Waltham. "The wisest way to go into salary negotiations is to be knowledgeable and keep the emotions out."
Gail Berry of Milford is a good example of someone who used reason, rather than emotion, to guide her in salary negotiations. Although flattered by a promotion from payroll clerk to purchasing analyst several years ago, she realized that the proposed raise of $2,500 was inadequate to compensate for the longer commute and loss of overtime pay that would come with the new job.
"I was flattered when the promotion was offered, but I had set career goals, and those goals included compensation," she says. "I was able to get an increase of $8,500."
Unlike Berry, who already had a job, new applicants face a different set of challenges. For them, two questions about salary can be particularly trying: "What's your salary history?" and "How much do you expect to earn?"
Employers ask the first question to see whether job seekers are in the right ballpark, Allen says. Often, in the case of upper-level positions, search firms act as intermediaries in this process. But whatever the case, not everyone wants to divulge their salary history for fear that the employer will lowball them.
Consultant Marcie Schorr Hirsch says that refusing to provide the specifics about your past earnings can work against you, but so can including them. "I've seen it work both ways," she says.
As for the second question, "What do you expect to earn?" specialists recommend giving a well-informed answer. If the employer finds it too high, you can explain your basis for the figure.
Sometimes, specialists say, a recruiter can negotiate a better deal for you than you'd get for yourself. Other times, though, you're on your own.
"Companies sometimes play real hardball and tell a candidate that their offer is nonnegotiable and final and try to force acceptance through fear that the offer may be rescinded," says David Kimmelman, a vice president with AIRS, a human resources solutions and services company in White River Junction, Vt. "As the job seeker, you need to determine how much you want this specific job and, if you really want it, how much or how little do you want to fight for what you want."
Although the rule of thumb is to wait for the employer to raise the question of salary, some human resources managers take a more lackadaisical approach as long as your timing is right.
"If it's the first question, that's not good," says Robin Lucier, human resources manager of B.L. Makepeace Inc. of Brighton, which supplies products and services to architects and engineers. "But if we've been chatting for 45 minutes, then I'm positively not offended."
Heather Bucell, for instance, raised the question of salary at the end of her interview with Lucier for a customer service position. Bucell had applied to Makepeace after becoming unhappy in her job as a claims adjuster for an insurance company. Although she had entered insurance for the money, she had become disenchanted with the work itself and her long commute from Brighton to downtown Boston via bus and subway. She told Lucier she was looking for a job with a friendly work atmosphere and a possibility for growth. After Lucier assured her that she'd find both at Makepeace, she offered Bucell the job. Lucier saw Bucell as someone who could expand customer service beyond its old "order-taker" function.
Then Bucell raised the question of salary. She knew from her research that Makepeace was a small, family-owned business. "I don't know if you'll be able to pay me what I'm making in my current job," she said.
Lucier indicated that she wouldn't be able to match it but encouraged Bucell to work out what she would need to take the job.
Bucell arrived at a bottom-line figure, taking into account the $800 a year she'd be saving in commuting costs. Lucier, in turn, was able to raise the original salary by increasing the number of hours from 37Æ to 40 hours a week.
Although the position pays less than her original job, Bucell is happy she took it.
"You think you'll move to a new job and make more money," she says. "But peace of mind is far more valuable."
Career specialists agree that job seekers should keep the "big picture" in mind when talking turkey. But, since salary is part of that picture, it pays to know that certain negotiation strategies can work in your favor.
Jack Chapman, author of "Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute," recommends responding to a salary offer by saying "hmmm" instead of "OK." He advises job seekers to repeat the figure in a contemplative tone and say something like, "Hmmm. Is that the best you can do?" Often, he points out, future employers raise the offer.
Hirsch agrees that silence or "hmmm" can be an effective negotiating technique. "It doesn't engage you," she said. "It leaves the ball in the court of the person talking."
Negotiating a raise can be more difficult than getting a high-paying new job, specialists say.
"The employer doesn't have the urgency to hire someone and get the work done," says Hirsch. She recommends that you familiarize yourself with the company's policies before you ask for a raise.
There's a difference, Hirsch says, between a "hard no" and a "soft no." Building a compelling case for yourself based on solid accomplishments can turn a "soft no" into a "yes," especially if you're willing to think about creative solutions such as a change in benefits.
Whether you're negotiating a salary inside or outside the company, specialists recommend you get the offer in writing and take a little time to think it over. Finally, they say, keep everything cordial. "Any conversation should be framed as part of a relationship," says Hirsch.
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