How to negotiate for a better salary, even now (page 1 of 2)

By Tara Weiss, Forbes.com

'This is no time to roll over and just take what they give you,' says Ford Myers, author of 'Get the Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring'. That's partly because anyone who receives a job offer right now is clearly the best qualified for it. So many people are applying for every position that hiring managers have to comb through hundreds of résumés and interview dozens of candidates. After all that, they don't want to go back to the interview process. They want you.

Also, when you negotiate in a respectful manner, you demonstrate the business skills they'll want you to employ on the job. 'Companies expect you to negotiate,' says Myers, president of Career Potential, a job consulting and coaching firm based in Philadelphia. 'They'll be disappointed if you don't, since you're hired to be smart and savvy when doing business dealings for their firm. They don't want you to be a pushover.'

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The trick is to do it the right way.

First, do your homework to find out exactly what the company needs in the role you're applying for. If your background and the desired skills are a match, tailor how you present your experience to fit the position.

Never reveal current payscale

Never reveal how much you made at your last job. It has no relevance to your next salary, since the new position will be with a different company in a new set of circumstances. Also, never suggest a salary before they do. If you are asked, there are several ways you can deflect that question.

Among your possible responses:
'Salary is an important topic, and I'd be happy to discuss it once our mutual interest is established.'
'If we decide I'm the right person for the job, I'm sure we can agree on compensation.'
'At this time I'm most interested in determining if I'm the right person for the job.'

Don't talk about salary at all until after you've been offered the job. But you should know what your worth. Websites like PayScale and Vault offer average salaries for thousands of positions. PayScale allows users to enter specific information such as geography, experience level, certifications and whether the job is with a nonprofit, government, a small business or a large company, to get as accurate salary data as possible.

Role research

Also, talk to people in like positions at similar companies to get a sense of what they make. Just make sure they're in the same kind of business, says Al Lee, director of quantitative analysis for PayScale.