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Ace the Salary Negotiations

Ace the Salary Negotiations

Salary negotiations are an important part of job search. You should be prepared to play this part well. Avoid leaving money on the table and safeguard your future saving.
Ten commandments for better salary negotiations
#1. Current and expected salary - You may be asked about this information in your job application or in the interview process. Try to push back salary information to the offer stage.
#2. Know the job worth - Do research. Find out how much similar jobs are being paid. Ask your friends. Visit job sites. Ask the consultant. This will give you a good estimate of salary range and know what makes a good offer.
#3. Salary is negotiable and it is perfectly normal to negotiate- At times , we presume that we have got the offer letter and it is final. Offer letter is the beginning of negotiation. Salary negotiation is perfectly normal and to negotiate is not being greedy. This is perfect business. In fact if the offer is lower and you don't negotiate, you will be perceived a weak guy.Your image will be affected.
# 4. Know your living expenses - Know how much are your living expenses including house rent, transportation, education expenses. You also need to save for future and for your holidays. Also add increase due to change in location or country. This is the minimum amount you need to survive and thrive.
#5 Current CTC - It is important to know your current salary. Ensure to include every component e.g. medical insurance, group insurance, bonus, shares, any other allowances etc. Calculate your gross and net salary. If you are making a change, then you deserve an increase. Don't end up selling short.
#6. Study the current offer - Don't accept immediately. Ask for time. Don't mention that you need to show to your spouse or friends. You need to study and make a decision. Compare it with current and expected CTC. Find the missing component.
#7 Build a strong case - Now you have the required information i.e. Job worth value, Your current CTC, Future living expenses . It is important to build a compelling case for asking a better salary e.g. I am due for salary revision( x%) b) I am relocating to capital city. House Rent and Children Education will double. Be reasonable in your expectations.
#8 Send a counter offer - Based on your objective analysis, send a counteroffer on email and follow it up with a call. You will face resistance, which is normal. Persist with your request and request for a face to face meeting.
#9. What else can I negotiate - training, salary review, leave, shares, employment terms. Don't focus only on numeric numbers as intangible things too matter.
#10. Know your leverage - You are looking for job... Is it to escape existing job?, first job, out of job, fired etc. Accordingly you need to adjust your strategy. Be humble and gracious. Be Flexible and know when to back down.
Photo Adaptation / Pixabay / nattanan23-6312362
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The mistakes we make in our everyday life

• We are hardwired to make these mistakes • Few biases are simply evolutionary • These errors affect all of us including the bright ones • Experience is just not enough to overcome • but expertise is required to recognize and overcome

Few of biases as below · Anchoring - When an individual depends too heavily on an initial piece of information during decision making · Fixed pie - When we assume that our interests conflict with the other party's interests and we play adversarial · Framing - When we decide on our options differently when the options are presented with positive or negative connotations · Vividness – When we pay attention to strong features at the expense of less, that could be more impactful · Over confidence – When our subjective confidence is greater than the objective accuracy · Escalation – When initial decision is followed up with an irrational decision to justify the initial decision

Few ways to mitigate these biases are · Learn to recognize the bias · Use slow, effortful and logical thinking (System 2) · Avoid fast, automatic and effortless thinking (System 1) · Avoid negotiations which are thrust upon when not ready · Learn through use of stories, examples, exercises · Bring an outsider perspective