Go for the Gold in Salary Talks

Silence is golden -- literally -- in salary negotiations, Dena Sneider advised Marin Professionals on March 10, 1999 at the general meeting in the Marin Civic Center.

Anyone who has reached the salary negotiations stage of the job hunt can lose a great deal by talking too soon -- and by not going for enough of the gold, said Sneider, a Bay Area career counselor with her own private practice.

Let's say you know from research and your own lifestyle desires that $60,000 annually is what you'd like. They open with $50,000. The proper response? Just count to 10, said Sneider. Don't say anything.

If they then go up to $52,000, don't bite. Just count to 10 again, and if you want to say something then, try, "I expected more than that." But don't name a figure. The side that names the figure first loses, said Sneider.

That's the basic script for negotiating, and if they don't seem to budge upward, tell them one of those accomplishment stories you've been rehearsing as a point of how much you are worth to them.

Some job hunters find it hard to stand up for themselves that much, Sneider noted. If you have that problem, here's a trick to try. Split yourself in half. The agent/lawyer half gets in there and makes the pitch for the "real you" half. It may sound funny, but Sneider said her clients report that it works.

As far as your salary goals are concerned, don't be afraid to aim high. A quick survey of the audience members who have done hiring showed, almost without exception, that candidates aim too low. Several ex-bosses said no candidate ever hit the top figure that management had in mind.

What usually happens is that the "nirvana" level in the candidates' eyes, the one people wouldn't dream of asserting, equals the company's top figure.

Below that is the candidate's "realistic top", the one a candidate feels brave in going for. What the job hunter doesn't know is that usually that figure is not much above the company's middle figure, said Sneider. You think you're asking for the moon, but it's really a level that doesn't bother them too much.

So aim high, because grabbing the highest figure you can pays off later -- raises will be based on starting salary, said Sneider.

Beware the signing bonus, she added. Would you rather sign for $50,000 and a $10,000 one-time bonus, or $60,000? It's a no-brainer, but a lot of people give in to signing bonuses instead of toughing it out for the higher annual sum, Sneider said.