Job seekers are facing a slowing job market, but does that mean they should accept an offer without negotiating things like salary or telecommuting?
Not necessarily, say career experts.
Falling job growth and rising unemployment have contributed to increased job searches and pessimism among workers, but what’s happening at the macro level doesn’t necessarily affect whether negotiations are out of your reach.
Consider conditions at a more micro level: what’s currently happening in your industry, trends in your geographic region and where you are in your career, advises Octavia Goredema, career coach and CEO of Fire Memos, an app for tracking professional success.
Your options and approaches to finding a job that suits your preferences depend on whether you are “desperately looking for the next opportunity” or “being poached out of nowhere,” she notes.
How to approach job negotiations in the current labor market situation.
List your priorities in advance
Before you start a conversation with an employer, you need to make a list of your must-haves, nice-to-haves and non-negotiable salary points, Goredema advises.
“Be really clear with yourself,” she says.
It is important to set priorities correctly before negotiations, says Goredema, pointing out that everyone’s list of needs and desires is different.
For some people, for example, salary, paid vacation or location may be the most important criteria, she says. For others, job title, specific tasks, a signing bonus or other perks may be exclusionary criteria.
You can use these preferences to filter your job search and serve as a basis for your conversations with a potential employer.
Find out early
If your online research doesn’t reveal anything, experts say you should find out about the parameters of the position early in the selection process, such as what the salary range would be or whether flexible working hours are possible.
“You don’t want to go through the entire application process and end up being rejected because you asked to work from home,” says HR consultant Stefanie Fackrell.
“You have to be open and transparent from the beginning of the conversation,” she says.
But you may want to avoid being too pushy at first. Take flexibility in working from home, for example. Rather than expressing a strong preference for a particular arrangement, you can gently ask through open-ended questions, Goredema advises.
For example, if you’re asking about a company’s return-to-work policy, she recommends using the following phrase in the interview: “So much has changed in the past year when it comes to employee preferences about where to work. What is the company’s stance on that now and in the future?”
Then compare the employer’s response to your list of must-haves and nice-to-haves to assess whether it is a role you want to pursue.
How to counter an offer
If your preferred work arrangement, such as working from home, isn’t a deal-breaker for you, Goredema recommends continuing with the application process until you receive a job offer. Having an offer in hand puts you in a “much stronger” position to negotiate the terms of your employment.
When responding to an offer and suggesting your preferred situation, be sure to start by saying thank you and complimenting the opportunity and emphasizing what you bring to the table before launching into your request, she advises.
Bringing up the topic can be daunting, especially for those just starting out in their careers, but you should be aware that the hiring manager “fully expects you” to negotiate, Goredema says.
“Be positive, be engaged and enthusiastic,” she advises. “Be as authentic as possible. Then say, ‘Now I’d really like to discuss the next steps, and that includes compensation,'” or whatever you’re negotiating.
The chances of success often depend on “how much your employer wants to hire you,” she adds. The more a company wants you, the stronger your negotiating position.
Do you know how far you want to go
Make sure you know how far you’re willing to go in a negotiation and when you want to quit, Goredema advises. “Be clear about what a win would look like for you,” she says.
Imagine every possible answer to your request — a yes, a no or a maybe — and “think through in advance what your response would be,” she says.
You don’t want to be seen as difficult or demanding, warns Goredema, so it’s important to demonstrate optimistic professionalism in a negotiation.
Fackrell urges applicants to set “realistic expectations” in this “very, very competitive” job market. If you’re excited about a company, the role and your career prospects, she advises against turning down an offer of a few thousand dollars in salary if salary is your top priority.
“It’s an employer’s market,” says Fackrell. “Your ego is not your amigo.”
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