Next Move, Best Move

Chapter 11The Truth about Salary Negotiation

Career Affirmation: I am worthy of a salary that reflects my skills and experience.

In the previous chapter, we dug into how to stand up for yourself, and we focused on having those tough conversations when you recognize an opportunity to say something meaningful or provide critical feedback in the workplace. In this chapter, it's time to talk about getting to the money.

Yes, I'm talking about salary negotiation.

The truth about salary negotiation is that it's much more closely tied to your personal and professional brand than you may think. Often, clients hire me to prepare them for that final conversation when the recruiter or hiring manager extends a final offer for the role they've been interviewing for. I jokingly call this the battle. Many professionals focus on this conversation like they are preparing for battle. They expect a lowball offer that does not reflect what they want, but what if we flip the script and set the expectation that the company will already be giving you a great offer and your responsibility is only to negotiate the cherry on top?

Salary negotiation conversations are less about that final conversation and more about (a) positioning yourself as a leader in your industry from the moment the company interacts with you, so they automatically provide you with a solid offer; and (b) reiterating your personal and professional brand, accomplishments, and professional track record of success during “the battle” ...