Salary increase blocks. (Photo/career addict)
Good news, you’re not alone: very few people enjoy negotiating salary. The trouble is, failing to ask for what you deserve, especially at the offer stage, could cost you hundreds of thousands of money over the course of your career. What’s more, most hiring managers expect candidates to negotiate.That's why we've looked at the research and collected some of the surprising strategies and techniques that can lead to a higher salary.Negotiation is not warYou need to view the negotiation as a discussion and a partnership instead. By making it less personal, you'd be in a "friendly but assertive mindset", trying to work things out for the benefit of both parties. It's something you have to do for yourself in planning your financial future and career.Know how much you're worth to your employerOf course, you need to enter a salary negotiation prepared. It's hard not to get emotional, but you need to treat it as if it's a pitch for a project, for your services. Most importantly, you need to have a good idea of how much you're worth to your employer,Demonstrate value-add, outline your accomplishmentsTime to sell/pitch about how awesome and valuable you're to your firm. It helps to have materials that help demonstrate your value to the organization. This can be anything from printed materials to an actual presentation. It's especially helpful if you're multi-skilled and contribute in various areas because this is highly likely to mean that the company will incur more cost in replacing you with a few individuals with specific skill sets.Never be the first to name a numberOne of the cardinal rules of negotiation is that you should never be the first to name a number. That question will pop up for sure and you'd be pressured to give a number. If your efforts to deflect this discussion isn't successful, give a narrow-ish range which you'd be happy with if they offer the lowest of that range; or deflect this with any of the below phrases temporarily:Stay silent (momentarily)People are naturally conditioned to fill silences. When being made an offer, don’t feel compelled to answer right away. Remember: you’re in control of the conversation. Let any offers breathe and often times, you’ll be on the offensive without saying a word as the other party rushes to fill the awkward silence