Salary Increase Letter
Sometimes it's necessary to write a salary increase letter to clarify your position and ask for higher salary. While we at Springraise recommend you do as much negotiation as possible in person, over the phone, through a recruiter, or even an HR rep from the company you're interviewing with--an email can be a powerful way to justify your request for more money. (For FREE salary increase letters, just contact us and we'll email them to you!)
If you must write a salary increase letter, it must achieve two goals:
1. Justify your request for higher salary
Justification of a higher salary request can be difficult because there are few external sources that a company will consider valid to justify your request. There are some great pieces of information that companies do use including salary surveys. These surveys are sold to companies so they can get a sense of what competitive salaries are at different levels. If you have that report, then you have equal ground.
2. Convey that you're willing to walk away from the offer
Positioning in negotiation is key. The ultimate power in a salary negotiation is walking away. Companies spend thousands of dollars to get people in the seats to interview. When they like someone, they WANT that person. If you are that person and there's a credible threat that you'll walk away, companies tend to negotiate. Let me make this clear:
It is cheaper for them to increase your salary than it is for them to keep looking for candidates.
I have hired many people throughout the course of my career and this is generally accepted law, not theory. It's a secret employers don't want you to know! So have confidence and don't be afraid to actually walk away if the salary isn't right.
You're going to see other sites that propose long five paragraph salary increase emails. Don't fall into that trap. Your justification can be short and to the point. Note, and this is VERY important: Don't try to justify your salary increase by using only salary calculators. That will offend the person with whom you're trying to negotiate. Why? Because salary calculators are unreliable and companies believe they already offered you a competitive package.
Your justification must have more meat to it, including your current salary, and whether you would have to take a pay cut. Also, your justification should also include something that will benefit the company AND your manager directly. Give the manager something to look forward to when hiring you at your negotiated salary. If you have the salary information for someone at that company at your entry level, then using that would be beneficial. This is extremely important in winning your negotiation. Just fill out the form below and we'll send you FREE salary increase letter samples! Good luck!
Salary Negotiation Letter
Sometimes it's necessary to write a salary negotiation letter to clarify your position and ask for higher salary. It can be scary, but do yourself a favor and make it happen! While we at Springraise Salary Negotiation recommend you do as much negotiation as possible in person, over the phone, through a recruiter, or even an HR rep from the company you're interviewing with--a letter can be a powerful way to justify your request for more money.
If you must write a salary negotiation letter, it must achieve two goals:
1. Justify your request for higher salary
Justification of a higher salary request can be difficult because there are few external sources that a company will consider valid to justify your request. There are some great pieces of information that companies do use including salary surveys. These surveys are sold to companies so they can get a sense of what competitive salaries are at different levels. If you have that report, then you have equal ground whether looking for a bigger raise or negotiating salary for a new job. Another powerful justification is to know the company's salary band for your position. Some companies publish it, but for those that don't, having that information makes your negotiation that much easier.
2. Convey that you're willing to walk away from the offer
Positioning in negotiation is key. The ultimate power in a salary negotiation is walking away. Companies spend thousands of dollars to get people in the seats to interview. When they like someone, they WANT that person. If you are that person and there's a credible threat that you'll walk away, companies tend to negotiate. Let me make this clear:
***It is cheaper for them to increase your salary than it is for them to keep looking for candidates.***
I have hired many people throughout the course of my career and this is generally accepted law, not theory. It's a secret employers don't want you to know! So have confidence and don't be afraid to actually walk away if the salary isn't right. For more information, check out our salary negotiation guide. This comprehensive manual walks you through the salary negotiation process, gives you real examples of how people have increased their salaries through letters and personal relationships, as well as gives you insight into how employers make salary decisions. The guide is a must-have if you've just gotten a job offer or raise and want to increase your compensation. Not acting can lose you thousands of dollars. I've seen it happen. Don't let it happen to you.
Let's say you don't negotiate and get paid $5,000 less than you could have made. If you're a strong performer, at next raise time, you may have gotten 10%. So you made $45,000 per year instead of $50,000. Instead of getting a $5,000 raise next year, you got $4,500. You lose not only the $5,000 from the first year, but $500 next year. Imagine you stay on the 10% increase path for 5 years. You will have lost over $33,000 in total because you didn't negotiate for that initial $5,000 you deserved. Again, don't let it happen. Our salary negotiation guide shows you how to avoid this pitfall and others to get on higher salary ground throughout the rest of your career. Check it out and good luck!
If you would like FREE sample salary negotiation letters, just fill out the form below with the subject "FREE" and we'll send you your samples!
Salary Calculator
A Salary Calculator is a very useful tool for going into a negotiation but there are definitely a lot of pro’s and con’s with leaning too heavily on what you learn from a salary calculator.
Pros:
1. Salary Calculators are an easy way to get a quick datapoint on what you should be earning. They can be fast and easy to get access to (often free).
2. Lots of smaller companies that don’t have access to more expensive data or don’t have comparable hires to you will rely heavily on salary calculators. Although you may disagree with the number that they are thinking about, it is vital to know what they are thinking.
Cons:
1. Salary Calculators are based upon survey data in order to figure out the industry averages. Depending upon the depth of the research, the averages can often ignore a lot of the smaller companies. It is much harder to get data on companies with less than 100 employees (they often don’t report their data and the data can be harder to find). This means that salary calculators are not always based upon data that is appropriate for the company that you are talking to.
2. Salary Calculators are usually only based upon titles and years spent at a job. Often companies will inflate or deflate titles to make up for lower or higher salaries. We all know that an assistant manager position at a Fortune 500 company is a lot different from an assistant manager position at a two-year old startup. Salary calculators can lump all of this together and not necessarily give you the information that you need.
3. Salary calculators can be difficult to us in negotiations because there are so many of them out there and other than the summary data, you usually cannot get access to the underlying data or a sense of how accurate it can be. The other person across the table from you could have a different salary calculator based upon a different set of data as well.
You should definitely look for a salary calculator as another data point, but you still need to do the additional homework in order to figure out what benchmarks are most appropriate for your personal situation. Your goal is to walk into a negotiation with appropriate salary information that represents you. With that kind of information, you will have a lot easier time getting what YOU deserve.
Salary Negotiation Email
Sometimes it's necessary to write a salary negotiation email to clarify your position and ask for higher salary. While we at Springraise recommend you do as much negotiation as possible in person, over the phone, through a recruiter, or even an HR rep from the company you're interviewing with--an email can be a powerful way to justify your request for more money.
If you must write a salary increase email, it must achieve two goals:
1. Justify your request for higher salary
Justification of a higher salary request can be difficult because there are few external sources that a company will consider valid to justify your request. There are some great pieces of information that companies do use including salary surveys. These surveys are sold to companies so they can get a sense of what competitive salaries are at different levels. If you have that report, then you have equal ground.
2. Convey that you're willing to walk away from the offer
Positioning in negotiation is key. The ultimate power in a salary negotiation is walking away. Companies spend thousands of dollars to get people in the seats to interview. When they like someone, they WANT that person. If you are that person and there's a credible threat that you'll walk away, companies tend to negotiate. Let me make this clear:
I have hired many people throughout the course of my career and this is generally accepted law, not theory. It's a secret employers don't want you to know! So have confidence and don't be afraid to actually walk away if the salary isn't right.
First Name:
Email:
You're going to see other sites who propose long five paragraph salary increase emails. Don't fall into that trap. Your justification can be short and to the point. Note, and this is VERY important: Don't try to justify your salary increase by using only salary calculators. That will offend the person with whom you're trying to negotiate. Why? Because salary calculators are unreliable and companies believe they already offered you a competitive package.
Your justification must have more meat to it, including your current salary, and whether you would have to take a pay cut. If you have the salary information for someone at that company at your entry level, then using that would be beneficial. This is extremely important in winning your negotiation.
Also, your justification should also include something that will benefit the company AND your manager directly. Give the manager something to look forward to when hiring you at your negotiated salary. Good luck!
Salary Negotiation Techniques
When you want to maximize your take-home cash, it pays to have solid salary negotiation techniques in your arsenal. The key to winning in any negotiation? Information. You have to arm yourself with more information than the person you're dealing with because most often that person holds the keys to your salary increase.
There are a number of methods out there to enhancing your knowledge including:
* Using a salary calculator
* Buying a salary range report
* Knowing peer salaries
* Looking at a relevant salary survey
Let's be clear. Most employers don't like you using these tried and true techniques. Why? Because it increases your chances of getting a higher salary than they want you to have. Their business is to get the most out of you for the least amount of money.
At Springraise Salary Negotiation, our goal is for you to get paid what you're worth in the market for people doing your job, with your background and special talents.
There are many tips and tactics you can use. But if you care about your compensation, then this salary negotiation approach will change your career.
Think of salary negotiation as a process
When coming up on a career event (raise, promotion, new job, etc.), prepare for it like you would any event or meeting. You wouldn't go into a big meeting with a client or partner unprepared, would you? Do the same for yourself! It's time for you to get paid first. Our Springraise Salary Negotiation ebook takes you step-by-step through the process. It details the information you need to WIN your negotiation. It provides real-world examples of how these techniques have led to double-digit, even TRIPLE-digit compensation increases! You've got to check it out.
Set a Goal
Every time you declare that you want something, you tend to get it, don't you? That's the power of setting goals. When you set it, you get it. The same is in salary negotiation. Set that goal and prepare relentlessly to get it. See yourself winning in that salary negotiation and you increase your chances of making it happen.
Know others' salary
It makes sense to know where you stand salary-wise versus your peers in your position. Feel free to ask! It may be taboo at some companies, but that's because the employers don't want you to drive up their costs! They have more information than you do because THEY know how much money others at your level make. Time for you to even the playing field. Salary comparison is a great technique that goes underutilized because people are afraid of consequences. Have no fear! Get the information you need to win.
Know who you're dealing with
Who's at the other side of the table? What does that person want or need? How is his or her success measured? Can you make their company or that person more successful just by being there? Knowing these answers will make you more valuable to the decision-maker. That translates into dollars.
Always Negotiate
Sometimes you prepare so well and set your goal that you achieve it based on the first offer you get. Fantastic! Congratulations! But it's not over. It pays to negotiate. Assume you're getting the lowest offer they can give. Push the envelope, but softly. If you want the job, raise, or promotion, that's the goal. Never hurts to push a bit on the salary if done well.
Accept or Decline Gracefully
You don't always accept offers--in fact, you can only accept one at a time, right? When you have multiple offers (and you will), you are indirectly expanding your network when interviewing. Don't burn bridges. If you're not taking a job, decline gracefully. Send a letter or email in addition to doing so over the phone or in person. Consider inviting the person to be a LinkedIn contact. If you accept, then all the above still pertains, but now you get to wow people in your new position. Here's an example of a decline letter that I wrote. After reading, the employer (IBM) said I had a six month open door to come back and not have to go through the interview process. Now THAT's building bridges.
Utilizing these salary negotiation techniques will get you well on your way to achieving your goals. Get yourself paid for the work you do. You're worth every penny!
Salary Negotiation
ANYONE CAN NEGOTIATE HUGE SALARY INCREASES!
springraise: an extraordinary salary increase
Salary negotiation is one of the main keys to maximizing your career compensation over time. You can’t leave it to chance. You can’t let your boss dictate to you how much you should be paid. Information is power and Springraise Salary Negotiation is here to help you make the highest salary you can—not just now, but over the life of your career. Don’t take a chance, take the lead in your salary negotiations.
Check out the first of our videos from our exclusive Salary Negotiation Series. Here, our Founder, David Williams discusses how he was able to get a double-digit raise in his first negotiation out of college!
Salary Negotiation Letter
Sometimes it's necessary to write a salary negotiation letter to clarify your position and ask for higher salary. While we at Springraise Salary Negotiation recommend you do as much negotiation as possible in person, over the phone, through a recruiter, or even an HR rep from the company you're interviewing with--a letter can be a powerful way to justify your request for more money.
If you must write a salary negotiation letter, it must achieve two goals:
1. Justify your request for higher salary
Justification of a higher salary request can be difficult because there are few external sources that a company will consider valid to justify your request. There are some great pieces of information that companies do use including salary surveys. These surveys are sold to companies so they can get a sense of what competitive salaries are at different levels. If you have that report, then you have equal ground.
2. Convey that you're willing to walk away from the offer
Positioning in negotiation is key. The ultimate power in a salary negotiation is walking away. Companies spend thousands of dollars to get people in the seats to interview. When they like someone, they WANT that person. If you are that person and there's a credible threat that you'll walk away, companies tend to negotiate. Let me make this clear:
***It is cheaper for them to increase your salary than it is for them to keep looking for candidates.***
I have hired many people throughout the course of my career and this is generally accepted law, not theory. It's a secret employers don't want you to know! So have confidence and don't be afraid to actually walk away if the salary isn't right.
***************
Get Top Dollar! shows you many more and how to make double and even triple digit percent salary increases. I have gotten salary increases of 16%, 35%, 18%, 80%, 51% and 123% (Wow!) throughout my career. I can help you do the same.
Get Top Dollar! Salary Negotiation Guide
Get Top Dollar! gives you COMPLETE examples of where I've used my PROVEN methods to get extraordinary salary increases.
Interest Conflict In The Salary Sharing Space
I've discussed this topic before, but feel the need to revisit it now. Many salary and career sites profess to focusing their services on the needs of a person's career. However, based on their own admissions in their About Us pages, one can learn a great deal about whom each company serves. Over the next several days, I will highlight a few of the players and see where they stand.
Let's start with the juggernaut: Salary.com
From their About Us section:
7,000 Corporate Subscribers | 10,000,000 Employees
Salary.com builds on-demand software around a deep domain knowledge in the area of compensation to help customers win the war for talent by simplifying the connections between people, pay and performance. Salary.com's cutting edge technology is integrated with actionable data and content, empowering customers to make the best decisions about pay and performance and help them to attract, motivate, reward and retain top performers.
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Who are Salary.com's customers? Judging by their pride in the 7,000 corporate subscribers they've accumulated and the content of the very first paragraph, it's clear that Salary.com values the corporate customer more than their 10 million "employees".
Let's examine that term closely. Salary.com calls the people who give them information on their salaries "employees". Wow. Don't employees get paid by their employers? The people who contribute their salary information to Salary.com presumably do so in order to receive a free salary report. The problem is that the data in those free reports are marginally beneficial (one only gets actionable data by paying fairly hefty subscriber or report fees).
It seems that consumers are essentially VOLUNTEERS for Salary.com because the company is monetizing our data without paying us anything. If the currency that we as contributors to Salary.com should be paid in is information, then Salary.com shouldn't charge anyone for the best data. It should be given away. I find this corporate behavior bordering on unconscionable.