Salary Negotiation Discussion Essay
My first time negotiating a salary, I had been poached by an organization because of my stellar performance in the previous organization, whose pay was very dismal. I always dreamed of working with a more prominent organization, such as the one that had poached me. During the salary negotiations, one of the company directors asked me how much I expect as a salary from them. I said, “between $45000 and $50,000 per month, net salary. The director paused for a moment and said, we “will give you a net salary of $67,000”. I was shocked because I was expecting him to complain that my quotation was too high and I should go down.
Instead, he proposed a figure that was more than $20,000 higher than the minimum I expected. When I joined the company, I realized that I was the lowest-paid employee in my job group. Therefore, the figure that the director offered me lower than what he expected me to quote. The experience taught me that I have failed to undertake some severe steps before the salary negotiations.
Several factors caused my quotation. First, I had not researched the company and how it pays its employees in different job groups. If I had taken time to investigate how the company pays its employees, I would have gotten a clear picture of its compensation range and ensure that my quotation is within that range. The consequence is that I became the lowest paid employee in the organization, even though I had been poached.
Secondly, I had not researched the job to get a clear picture of my market worth. I was working for a company that was not paying me as per my worth. As a result, I went for the salary negotiations with what I was getting in mind. Therefore, I quoted a figure that is slightly higher than what I previously earned. I thought that that was the pay range for the job in the market. Had I researched the role, I would have been able to determine my market worth and quote an appropriate figure. As a result, I did not get paid according to my worth.
Finally, I was desperate to join the company of my dreams, and my desperation could have made me sell myself short. As a result of my strong desire to join the company, I neglected the vital steps that one should follow before they engage in salary negotiations. I was more interested in leaving my previous small company and join a bigger one in the urban area, and the excitement cost me a chance to get a payment that is commensurate to my worth. Were it not for the director’s transparency, I would have gotten a much lower figure than what the company offered.
I propose that applicants should consider the following before and during salary negotiations. Before the talks, they should research the company and compensate its employees in different job groups. Secondly, they should research about the job and how different companies pay people in their job group to determine their market worth. Importantly, during the negotiations, they should never sell themselves short because they want to leave their previous organization or join a company of their dreams.
