DURING THE INTERVIEW
· Ask “What does it take to be successful here?” You must ask this question this exact way.
· Use your own name once or twice. Use their name 3-4 times.
· Label their emotions, i.e. “It seems like you’re excited to add this position, but hesitant because you feel it will bring on more work for you.”
· Give them a personal stake in seeing you succeed. Make them feel like they are becoming your mentor. Sell yourself and your success as a way they can validate their own intelligence and to broadcast it to the rest of the company. Their intelligence will be validated, if you, the person they chose to hire, succeeds. They will work hard to help you succeed. In return, you will argue for their importance…you will advocate throughout the company for them. This makes them want you as their ambassador and they will have a huge stake in your success.
· People take more risks to avoid a loss than they do to realize a gain. Get them to understand there's something to lose if they don't take action and hire you/give you a raise. Discuss success metrics while you're there.
SALARY/RAISE NEGOTIATION
Salary negotiation is like a tennis match, back and forth.
“What Is Your Current Salary?”
Mention how you signed that non-disclosure agreement with your current employer, you work in a very competitive industry, and don’t feel comfortable with disclosing any company information.
“What Salary Are You Expecting?”
“Well this is always the fun part of the interview. I thought I’d defer to you on this one. You’re much more familiar with the “going rate” in this industry for this position. The budget could be vastly different based on industry. Are you able to share what is budgeted for this position?”
More times than not, my mentees get a “yes” here.
IF they say, “It would probably be best if you could share what you’re looking for.”
THEN: “Of course. For example, I know that the salary for this position at Prominent Retailer X is about $82,750. And at Aerospace Engineering Company Y, about $127,500. How does the budgeted salary for this position fit into this range?”
*Notice here that both sides are saying “no” without saying “no”. Notice the back and forth. Notice that you ARE giving a salary, as requested. You are simply giving a CRAZY range. If you go too low, 1) they may think you are not qualified, and 2) you could miss out on thousands. If you go too high, you could knock yourself out of the running.
· Use precise numbers. $80,000 does not seem well-thought-out. $82, 750 shows that you did your research.
· Use the word fair.
· When you don't like an offer. Label, label, label emotions get the other person to negotiate with themselves by continuing to talk.
· When you're in a good spot, use the word fair.