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You just got a job offer...but the salary is on the low end.

Maybe you figure that as a new grad or entry level job seeker, you should just accept the offer without attempting to negotiate.

Experts agree: failing to negotiate your salary can impact your earning potential, so you should always be prepared to negotiate your job offers.

Did you know?

According to Glassdoor research using data from its salary calculator tool, the average U.S. employee could be earning $7,528 USD, or 13.3 percent more per year than their current annual base salary (Glassdoor, "Glassdoor Reveals the Average American Is Underpaid By $7,500", 2017).

The Numbers Add Up

Your first salary can follow you to your next job.

If you stay in the same company for a few years, your future raise will be based on a % of your first salary. The higher your first salary, the greater the increase in your future raises.

You'll enjoy a higher income now and in the future.

Think bigger than a single paycheque. Successful salary negotiations have a compounding effect over time. Non-negotiating employees can miss out on an additional $5,000 per year to start.

Across your career, that can add up to literally hundreds of thousands of dollars less than employees who successfully negotiated their salaries early on!

I honestly deserve to be paid more

Did you know?

An employee whose starting annual salary was $55,000 rather than $50,000 with a salary increase of 5% per year would earn an additional $600,000+ over the course of a 40-year career.

Close The Pay Gap

If you're a woman, you can close the gender pay gap by negotiating your salary.

In 2016 women earned $41,554 while men earned $51,640

Women may earn up to $7,200 less than men in equal positions. Many women accept jobs where they end up performing exactly the same tasks as a higher paid male colleague, who is more likely to have negotiated a higher salary.

If you're a young university or college graduate, the gap is even greater. As little as 7% of female university grads, compared to 57% of their male classmates, attempt to negotiate their first salary.

Show Them You Know Your Value

You’ve finally gotten through the interview successfully and the employer chose you from the hundreds of qualified applicants!

The employer understands your value. Do you?

A woman saying, 'I know what my worth is!'

Negotiating your salary shows the employer that you're confident in your skills and can do the job. Your skill and assertiveness in negotiating salary tells the employer about your capability and that you’ll be ready to take on more responsibility when the time comes.

Negotiation Is Expected

It's called a negotiation because it's negotiable!

Employers need to offer a salary that’s competitive enough to attract good candidates, but they also still want to save money where they can.

Do you feel intimidated when negotiating salary? Don’t!

Employers usually have wiggle room when making you an offer, so you can anticipate that any offer has room to negotiate.

Two people negotiating over the phone. One person waves a white flag, and the other celebrates.

The worst-case response is usually a "no".

The recruitment process for employers is both time consuming and expensive. If an employer made you an offer, they're interested! If you counter their offer and they decline, it's unlikely they'll rescind their original offer and you can always still accept.

Take Action

Knowing why you want to negotiate is just as important as knowing how much you should ask for!

Your first salary may be the starting point to negotiate your future job offers, so put yourself in a good position from the start.

Athletes at the starting line of a crossfit competition.

As you think about negotiating your next salary:

License:

This Byte has been authored by

RC

Robert Campiti

Career Advisor

English

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