What should I do if I want to get a higher salary when I change jobs?
I have worked in the former company for 3 years and have made outstanding achievements. Recently, I have a good job-hopping opportunity.
I will be interviewed by HR in the next round, and it is estimated that we will talk about salary, but every time I am asked "how much is your ideal salary", I get scared. I don't know how much salary is appropriate. I am afraid that if I say too much, I will lose the opportunity. But I am not reconciled to get the lower. What should I do if I want to get a higher salary?
Answers ( 1 )
To get a higher salary, you need to establish a salary promotion strategy based on your actual situation.
This strategy is not only "what do you need to do during the negotiation process", but also "what do you need to do before and after the negotiation".
Next, I will help you design a whole set of salary promotion strategies from each of the three stages: before, during and after the negotiation.
I. Before the negotiation.
To get a higher salary, the most important thing is that you need to prepare well before the discussion. Before the discussion, you should do at least three things:
1. Understand the market situation.
First, you need to investigate the "overall level of compensation in your industry and position", and then combine your strengths to assess "your personal market value".
So, how do you investigate the salary market?
There are several common methods:
Method 1: consult your peers.
They may be your current or former colleagues, or they may be your partners, in which, you have accumulated a certain trusted relationship.
Because they trust in your ability or character, they will provide you with first-hand salary information.
Method 2: consult with industry salary experts.
There are HR or senior headhunters in your industry, and they are the ones who know the pay market as a whole.
You can consciously accumulate contacts in this area during every job change and interview.
Method 3: use open online search channels.
There are several main types of open salary search channels:
One is the job search website, which has a lot of salary information about the position.
One is the website that provides pay trend reports, with free or paid compensation reports from different industries.
There is also an interactive community, such as the workplace community on some integrated platforms, where topics related to career and salary are openly discussed, and it is also a good way to learn about the real salary expectations in your industry.
You can choose the above research methods according to your resources and preferences.
Of course, you'd better crosscheck these approaches so that the information obtained from different sources can be checked against each source to get a complete assessment.
2. Be clear about your expectations.
Next, you can set a reasonable salary expectation according to the market situation and your own actual ability.
Setting salary expectations is important because it is not "how much salary you actually get" that ultimately determines "whether you are satisfied with the result of job-hopping", but the relationship between the salary result and your expectations.
So how do you set expectations?
In general, you can set it from two angles:
One is to compare horizontally with your peers: where is your level in the same industry?
How do you compare with people with similar backgrounds (the same work experience (years), the same position)?
What "irreplaceable core competencies" do you have?
What is your bargaining chip if you want to get a higher salary than typical for your industry?
The other is to compare vertically with your past:
How much do you expect to improve compared to your last job?
For example, what percentage do you want to increase, 20% or 30%?
What abilities and resources have you accumulated in your previous work to make you look forward to it?
By comparing horizontally and vertically, you can initially set an "ideal salary expectation" for yourself.
Of course, in addition to salary expectations, I hope you can focus on "the overall return of a job", not just the salary itself.
So, even if the salary of the current job doesn't meet your ideal expectations,
if you can get "something extra you value" from the job (for example, the appreciation of a leader you admire greatly, a platform with many opportunities, paid annual leave that exceeds your expectations, and a comfortable office environment.)
This way, even if the salary doesn't meet your expectations, it's a job option worth considering.
Of course, you still have to set a bottom line salary for yourself. If it doesn't reach the bottom line, you won't consider the job,
but if it's higher than the bottom line and lower than your expectations, you can evaluate the return of the job as a whole.
3. Take stock of your own advantages.
As an individual, you exchange value with the company.
To get a satisfactory salary, you must provide "value worthy of the salary".
What brings value?
It must be the performance brought about by your strengths.
So, to get a higher salary, you need to be clear about "what this job requires of you" and "how your strengths support your being successful in the job".
To do this, you need to answer the following questions carefully before the interview:
1) Why are you a competitive candidate for this position?
2) What successful experiences have you had in the past in this position?
3) What key contacts and resources have you accumulated in this position?
4) What do you admire most about yourself? (Talk about it in terms of character and ability, respectively. )
The above questions make you more aware of your strengths and "the value you bring to the organization" to match "your ideal salary".
II. During the negotiation
In addition to doing enough preparation before the interview, grasping some critical principles during the interview process is also crucial for you to get a higher salary.
Principle 1: show your strengths and values confidently.
In the interview, the most crucial thing is to show your strengths and values.
You should tell them clearly and confidently: "in the face of the company's current challenges, why am I the most suitable person?"
You need to send a message to the business side that I am not only the person the company needs, but also "the person who can bring more value to the company".
And this firmness and confidence come from your belief in your own strengths and values.
Principle 2: state your salary expectations directly.
In a negotiation, if a company thinks you are a candidate to consider, it will usually ask the critical question --"what salary do you expect?"
My advice is to state your ideal expectations directly. For example, if your bottom line is $2,000 a month and your ideal monthly salary is $3,000, then you need to tell the them that your expectations are $3,000 or higher, and don't tell HR your bottom line (it's easy to lose the bottom line).
Principle 3: seek truth from facts and master the limits of negotiation.
On the one hand, the salary is not "the higher, the better".
According to experience, if the salary exceeds the expected level, you not only have to bear more responsibility (sometimes this responsibility does not match your ability, and it will bring you a lot of pressure and pain);
Moreover, the salary that exceeds the expected level will not have an ideal increase in a few years.
On the other hand, you can't ask for a salary below the bottom line.
If you accept a salary below the bottom line because you really want to go to a company, you will most likely have a long-term psychological imbalance and a sense of worthlessness.
Therefore, only the salary that is realistic and normally fluctuates within the expected range can promote the sustainable exchange of workplace value.
Only when the ability and value return match will the individual's development in the organization be healthier.
III. After the negotiation.
You might ask, "the negotiation is over. What else do I need to do?"
Although the negotiation is over, the relationship between you and the interviewer is just beginning to be established!
From the day of the discussion until you get the offer, "your chance to win the interviewer's favor" has been there.
For example, you can write a thank-you note to the interviewer after the discussion, which is a sign of gratitude and respect.
For example, suppose you don't think carefully about some questions during the discussion. In that case, you can tell the interviewer, "I need to think about it carefully before giving you an answer (this is not only a pragmatic performance but also an opportunity to keep in touch with the interviewer)."
For example, suppose you capture some other interviewer's other needs during the interview, and you happen to have resources that are useful to him. In that case, you can also offer to help after the negotiation is over.
You have to believe that "before the interviewer makes a decision, you can use all your time to help you fight for more possibilities."
Summary
To get a higher salary when you change jobs, you need to be prepared before the negotiation, follow the principles during the discussion, do enough homework after the discussion, and fully develop a salary promotion strategy that suits you.
Specifically, before the negotiation, you need to understand the market situation, define reasonable expectations, and take stock of your strengths.
In the negotiation, you need to clearly and forcefully advocate "your own advantages and the value it brings to the enterprise", respond directly to salary expectations, and keep a realistic grasp of the negotiation line.
After the negotiation, you can still seize every "opportunity to establish a link with the interviewer" to be a dedicated person and win his trust in your abilities.
Finally, please remember that there is only one measure of your future salary, and that is: "create value for the enterprise".
The increase in salary is only a facade. Only "the continuous improvement of your ability, the continuous accumulation of experience, and the continuous creation of value" is the permanent motive for the long-term development of your career.
Look, if you want to get a higher salary, it is not something that can be solved at the moment of the negotiation. You need a "comprehensive strategy" that pays attention to every link before, during, and after the interview.
You are welcome to use this salary promotion strategy to get a more reasonable and satisfactory salary.