Negotiation Strategies

For some reason, negotation has a bad reputation in the scientific community. Many think of it as being reserved for high ranking officials or lowly car sales people. Some do not even realize that negotiating a job offer is an option, or they fear the employer will see them as greedy if they attempt to negotiate. In fact, if you negotiate well, it will demonstrate to your employer that you are confident and well-prepared.

The first point to remember is that you should never ask about salary and benefits during your interview. If they ask you for salary expectations, say "My salary is negotiable, but I hope to be compensated for my education and experience." If you they press you (either on paper or verbally) give them a range with the minimum being the average according to the market, and the maximum being a number that would make you really happy but is still reasonable for your job description.

You will probably get your offer verbally through the phone before they send you an official letter. One way to lead into the conversation is to ask about job responsibilities, travel, and whom you will report to. Then, you can politely formulate your question as:
"I understand that you are looking for someone who will need to travel frequently/ has experience with/..., and I am curious, would you consider a higher salary such as...?"
Most likely you will talk to an HR person at this point, and they will need to consult their supervisor, so you can let them know that you understand that.
"I know that you need to talk to your supervisor/department head, and I really appreciate your help."

Remember that settling for a lower salary will decrease your raise in the future, because raises are based on a percentage of your base salary. Also ask about performance reviews which could increase your salary in the next few months.

They might come back and say no, but other parts of the job offer are negotiable, such as

Start-up/hiring package (academia)
Teaching assignments (academia)
Sign on bonus (industry)
Stock options (industry)
Moving expenses (both)
Vacation (both)
Start date (both)
Benefits (both)

If you have another job offer you should let them know about it, and perhaps they will offer you a more attractive package. (This goes without saying, but you should never make up another offer. The consequences could be tragic for your career).

If you need to relocate ask about :

Professional moving companies,
Moving your car(s),
Cost of selling or buying a house,
Cost of realtor,
Temporary housing costs,
Job assistance for spouse, and
Assistance with finding a new school for your children.

In summary, the two most important parts of negotiation are to: 1) do your homework and be prepared, and 2) have the courage to ask.

I have listed a few resources below to give you more ideas for negotiating job offers. I also highly recommend two books for women by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever called "Women Don't Ask" and "Ask For It." Babcock and Laschever found that women were four times less likely to negotiate salaries than men, and as a consequence their life-time earnings lagged hundreds of thousands of dollars behind those of their male colleagues. These books have specific strategies that can be applied in many negotiation situations.

Other negotation books and websites:

"Getting To Yes" by Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton
"Get Paid What You're Worth" by Robin Pinkley and Gregory Northcraft
"Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most"by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen and Roger Fisher

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/salaryinformation/a/salarynegotiat.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2111510_negotiate-job-offer.html

Salary References
www.salary.com
www.payscale.com
http://monster.salary.com/