Salary Negotiations and Employed
When you make it to salary negotiations, you are no longer simply another job seeker, you are the applicant or one of the applicants that the company is seriously considering hiring. Be happy that you made it this far, but do not get so confident until you start believing that it’s a done deal.
During salary negotiations, take care to consider the employee contribution to benefits and if possible get any and all information regarding benefit deductions at the beginning of the negations. Sometimes what starts out being a great salary will become a good salary or even a less than adequate salary once employee benefit contributions are deducted.
If you are hired and receive an employee handbook note if the salary deductions for benefits as well as information on the benefits are outlined in the handbook. If not ask for this information before the probationary period ends. In short, if your paycheck is scheduled to shrink by a significant amount after you become an official employee receiving benefits you want to know and be prepared. You also want to know what services will be covered by these benefits.
Take the cost of working into account as well as your household expenses. Many young or inexperienced workers tend to think of their salary in terms of their personal expenses and or car payments. They completely forget about the cost of working. The cost of working may include gas and or the cost of transportation (fares, tolls, vehicle maintenance and repairs) appropriate work clothing, dry cleaning, lunch money, regular trips to the hair stylist or barber shop, and budget for mileage or cab fares if the job involves traveling to different locations within your city, community or metropolitian region.
Many reentering the workforce after a long stretch on unemployment may find that their past salary has little or no impact on the salary that they can currently command. Many positions that once offered salaries of $70,000, $80,000 or more are now paying $25,000, $30,000 or $40,000. However, every now and again an applicant will come across companies advertising similar positions for $60,000 or $70,000. In short, salaries are currently all over the place. After I conducted a quick and unofficial review of salaries in this area, I saw low-to-mid level management positions paying anywhere $9.00 per hour to $31.00 an hour. Few would argue, this is a big difference and the reasons behind this large gap can vary.
In most cases, it is up to the applicant to learn the pay range for the position that they are applying for in their region or city. As a job seeker you should know your minimum salary requirements. If you low ball yourself during salary negotiations in order to get the job, your pain will be your problem. While in some rare cases it does happen, do not expect your employer to feel sympathetic towards your financial plight. Nevertheless, if it is apparent that your household expenses and the cost of working totals more than most employers in your area are willing to pay, you may have no choice but to consider doing without a few things or taking on a second job in order to make-ends meet.
During salary negotiations find out if employees are required to sign a non-compete agreement or if the company has a no moonlighting clause. Sometimes companies will not tell applicants about these documents until after the applicant has signed and accepted the job offer. Experts advise applicants to check with an attorney prior to signing a non-compete agreement or no moonlighting clause. According to these experts once these types of agreements have been signed, it can be very difficult or even impossible renegotiate.
If you have any questions or doubts regarding the position’s classification. Ask if the position is salaried or hourly. When you sign the offer of employment, make sure that the correct classification is on the document. Also ask if there are any specific policies associated with your classification. For example, in some companies salaried workers are expected to be available by phone at all times. Hourly, workers may be required to leave at the end of the regular work day, unless management requests them to stay late.
If the job involves travel find out if the company pays major expenses such as airfare and hotel prior to the trip of if you will be responsible for the cost of travel upfront and reimbursed later for these expenses. This is especially important if you have been unemployed for a while and as a result your credit cards may be maxed-out. Also you may have been working or earning an income throughout the recession, but the credit card company may have unexpectedly lowered your credit limit. In either case, you should consider this when applying for a job that involves travel.
Remember, if your caution light came on comes on at some point, either before the interview, during the interview or while you are working with the company, do not purposely turn it off. Do not fool yourself into believing that you will be able to indefinitely act, talk or charm your way past issues such as a lack of experience or a dislike of your job responsibilities. On the other hand, do not bury your head so far into your work until you are not paying attention to what is going on around you. Keep your ear to the ground. Be mindful of any signs or movement that could indicate that the company may be in trouble or that your employment situation may soon change. Note, this does not mean that you should start rumors or help to spread any rumors that may already be circulating.
It is up to employees and potential employees to be vigilant and to look out for their interest. Do not brag or discuss this openly, but don't feel ashamed either. Things are tough all over and if you don’t bother to keep your future in mind, who will.
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