may 2015 BCBusiness 23 saBRina smeLKO
How to Talk Dollars and Sense
D - I - Y M a n a g e m e n t
hR consultant cori maedel, ceO of the Jouta performance group, and career counsellor
marlene haley, principal of careers you Love, inc., tell us how to negotiate salary from both
sides of the desk by Felicity Stone
know what
the joB entails
Don't discuss salary until the job
has been clearly defined for you
and you know exactly what your
responsibilities are going to be and
the scope of responsibility, says
Haley. Otherwise you could be
negotiating for the wrong job. Mae-
del recommends asking to see the
company's employee handbook
to understand not only responsi-
bilities but how (and how often)
compensation is reviewed.
is that all there is?
If the bottom lines are too far apart, the
employee can offer to discuss salary in
return for other considerations. "But
there has to be a reason, because I want
to know if I'm hiring you that you are
really clear what you are worth and that
it's a reasonable worth," says Maedel.
"Don't complain to the employer a year
later that you're not making what you're
worth. It's like getting married and
expecting your husband to change."
•
you go first
Ideally you want the employer to discuss
salary range first, says Haley, but "if you
are going to be forced to talk, you're not
going to be all that squeamish about it if
you really know what's going on in the
industry. Start your range of what you're
looking for just below what you know is
the employer's maximum."
no, you go first
"I would never as an interviewer go
first," says Maedel. An employer doesn't
have to divulge what their range is. "It is
a cat and mouse game—a little bit back
and forth—but both sides have to be
really clear what their bottom lines are.
You ask them what their salary expecta-
tions are, and they'll either fit within
your range or they won't."
start with a plan
A company's compensation plan needn't
be fancy, says Maedel, but it does need
to fit the organization's culture, values,
vision and budget. Some employers want
to attract A+ players and are willing to
pay accordingly; others may pay less but
compensate with extra holidays or other
perks. "They need to know what their
threshold is," says Maedel. "Do this before
you actually advertise for the role."
do your researCh
As a prospective employee, you
shouldn't be walking into an interview
without having researched that com-
pany and industry and done a salary
survey, says Haley. Check job postings
or ask at least 10 colleagues the salary
range for similar positions in that
industry. Maedel plugs market data
into a spreadsheet to determine salary
ranges for clients.
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