Thursday, April 2, 2009

Salary Negotiations - The Real Deal

If you are negotiating a salary in this current job market consider yourself lucky...given the current economy. Most employers have the upper hand right now because they have a pool of outstanding talent to choose from. If you are unsure or uncomfortable with salary negotiations, please take a look at this article: (http://tinyurl.com/c9rw7v).

As a recruiter, it's very frustrating for me when I ask a candidate "what is the minimum salary you are willing to accept?" and I get "I'm flexible." Well that doesn't tell me much. When I ask for your minimum salary requirements...what I'm really asking is "what is the least amount of money you are willing to accept for a new job opportunity?" If the minimum that you can comfortably live off (pay bills, kids tuition, yearly vacation and put some in the bank) is $106,000 then that's the amount that you need to give me. This helps me in my marketing strategy. If I know that your minimum is $106,000, I will not call you about a job paying $86,000.

Most recruiters (the sharp ones) will ask for your complete salary history in an effort to see logical progression. BE HONEST WITH YOUR RECRUITER. Also, if you were making $48,000 at your last job and you've been out of work for the past 6 months, don't tell your Recruiter the minimum you will accept is $65,000. That's unrealistic.

How are your negotiating skills? What have been your successes? Sound off.

Tammy Turner
President/CEO
Kapstone Recruiting & Training Services
www.kapstonejobs.com
www.kapstonejobs.blogspot.com

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