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Salary Negotiation for the Meak February 3, 2017

You should read about salary negotiation from Patrick McKenzie. It's great, and I won't do better than that. But I want to add a few things that could be helpful.

The whole process is kind of ridiculous, because what you want to say is, "I'd like more money because I'd like more money." No matter your reasons, this is all it comes down to. Therefore, I'd argue that the main thing you're controlling is positioning.

My personality is not well-suited to this process. But a few simple ideas helped me a lot.

1. 'Flexible' is good word. Patrick argues that 'interesting' is a good word, because its positive and non-committal. I like 'flexible' too because asking if there is any flexibility with salary feels friendlier than asking for more money. In the most basic sense, it's easier for me to say.

2. Find something concrete to point to. Even if the salary package is strong, there has to be one thing that isn't amazing. Having a concrete talking point gives you leverage and allows you to speak with less BS. Even if the item you're using isn't important to you, it grounds the conversation. "I think the offer is really strong. I was just disappointed with the {{cost of employee contribution towards healthcare || 401(k) matching program || number of days of PTO || lack of tuition reimbursement program || vision is not covered under the healthcare program}}. Is there any flexibility in the salary to make up for that? I estimate that {{item}} will end up costing me $X K per year."

3. I'm a fan of this line: "I think the package we're discussing is strong, if it would be possible to increase the base salary by $X that would make it a really easy decision for me." I like this because it's not aggressive, it's honest, and it allows the company to say yes and you'll both feel good. If you're willing to walk away from the deal, you'll probably need to take a harder-line. But if you want a low-risk way to check if there's more money on the table, this is it. It puts the person you're speaking with in any easy position to close the deal by coming up a little higher. And if the answer is no, you haven't gone too far out on a limb.

(I don't know if this is true, but I expect when a comp package is put together it's assumed there will be some negotiating. I imagine the CFO saying to HR, "If they ask for $X K or less, you can approve it. If it's more than that, we'll need to discuss it." So if you don't even ask, you could be leaving *really* easy money on the table. Again--just a theory.)