Salary negotiation can be scary because you do not want to undervalue yourself and get a raw deal or overvalue yourself and get disqualified. The most important thing is to know your worth and this can be simplified by following these guidelines.
Your experience
t goes without saying that the more experience you have, the more your skills you possess and the more value you bring on board. As such, you should consider your professional experience when quoting your expected salary.
As a basic requirement, employers will usually specify the number of years of experience in the qualifications part of a job advertisement. As stated earlier, once a position is available, a budget is determined. The years of experience are part of the consideration when determining the budget to be set aside for a particular position. This then means that you should quantify this when determining your net worth.
Your skills
When applying for a job, carefully look at the skills required and how many you have and more importantly, your skill level. The more skills you have, the higher your value and the more the higher your remuneration aspirations. It gets even better if you have put these skills to good use for a long period of time, which then means that you have a lot of experience and highly polished skills.
Another consideration is the availability of your skills on the market. The higher the supply, the less the value and the higher the demand, the more the value. As a way of cushioning yourself against this, you can ensure that you have an array of skills which props up your value as it means that you can comfortably handle a couple of duties.
The position
Most entry-level positions attract low salaries and this includes those jobs that require up to 2 years of experience. The rationale is that you have not gained enough experience and skills and this means that the employer will have to invest in you by way of training.
However, mid-level to top-level management positions attract comparatively high salaries as you are deemed to have lots of experience and a lot of skills to bring on board. In most instances, you will have done something recognizable which pushes your value up and employers are willing to pay for the value you bring on board.
Therefore, if you are applying for any position that demands for many years of experience, you have the leeway to put a high price on your skills. If you are applying for a low-level position, you should not put a premium on your skills as this will mean that you might need to be trained on the job. Read more
