Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login
Trying to negotiate a salary? Some good tips (businesspundit.com)
8 points by OCInnovationVlt on May 30, 2008 | hide | past | favorite | 3 comments



If at all possible, it's also a good idea to let the other person in the negotiation be the first to propose a number/terms.


The most important trick is just to name a price in the first place. Especially in software, if you're good at what you do and the position is a good fit, you are almost guaranteed to be able to get what you ask for, as long as it's not ridiculous. At worst, you'll get a counter-offer. If someone drops you outright it's because they really don't want you and the salary just forces them into a decision. (Or, rarely, it's because they truly can't afford you: you don't want that job, becuase it won't be there for long anyway.)

Employers actually hate it when people come in with squishy responses like "Oh, I'm not looking for salary specifically..." because it just makes more work for them. It's much easier if they can say "this person costs this much, do we pay it or not?". Coming up with a "fair" salary is much harder.


I agree it's better to be concrete. Do your research ahead of time and see what you're worth!




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: