Let Emojis Show You the Art of Salary Negotiation

It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what kind of career you have. If you have a smartphone, you’re probably familiar with emojis. Maybe you use them every day. Or, maybe you know about them simply because they’re the only way the millennials in your life know how communicate. Either way, emojis are a powerful communication tool. They can help sum up complicated thoughts with one simple image. They can also serve as visual reminders when you’re negotiating your next salary. Here’s what I mean.

Image result for graph emojiDo Your Salary Research

You can’t negotiate a high salary if you don’t actually know how much you are worth. Instead of going into your next salary negotiation with a typical salary range, use one specific number that you feel confident in. Struggling to find that number? Hop on PayScale.com and get your customized report so you can see how much you should be paid based on your own location, education, skills, and experience. When you’re done, you’ll get a salary report with a number you can use to negotiate your salary.

Don’t Accept the First Offer

It’s tempting to accept the first offer you’ve given when it comes to salary. This is especially true if you’re fresh out of college, or if you’ve been struggling to find meaningful employment. When you’re in a salary negotiation situation, the first number you’re offered is usually the lowest amount an employer thinks you’ll accept. Come back with the number you got from your salary report and make a case for yourself. PayScale has even provided some scripts you can use. Seventy-five percent of people who ask for a bigger salary actually get some kind of increase. It’s definitely one of those things that is worth fighting for.

Negotiate More Than Just Salary

If salary negotiation is a new area for you, it’s totally acceptable to try to negotiate something other than base pay. Compensation isn’t just what’s on your paycheck every week. It’s a combination of your base pay, your benefits, your office culture, and any other perks a company might offer. For example, if you love to travel, instead of negotiating a higher salary, you may want to consider negotiating more time off, or even remote work privileges. That way you can work and travel at the same time. Another example might be ongoing learning, education, and professional development paid for by the company.

Don’t Give Up

Not all salary negotiations go the way we want, and for all kinds of different reasons. If you’re just starting out in your career, don’t be discouraged. If you aren’t able to negotiate a higher salary now, talk with your boss about getting you on a professional development plan. You can sit down together and draw out goals, performance metrics, and other things you need to achieve to get some experience under your belt. And once you’ve met those metrics, you can make the business case for a new title with a promotion.

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