Negotiating your salary: Tips to know before asking for more money
Global News
Research published by human resources consulting firm, Robert Half, found Canadians are increasingly overcoming the awkwardness of asking for more money.
As MBA student Lisa Malachowski negotiated her salary for a job set to begin this summer, a thought familiar to many young workers crossed her mind: “Maybe they’ll withdraw the offer.”
Malachowski, a soon-to-be-graduate of Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business (JMSB), had been offered a full-time position at the same tech company where she’d completed an internship last summer.
The 36-year-old also had 10 years of professional management experience, but said she wasn’t sure how valued those skills would be in her new career path.
“One of the hardest things is the knee-jerk reaction of, ‘If I ask for too much, I look ridiculous,”’ she said.
“It’s not ever an easy conversation to have. But I think one of the things that made it easier … is that I did so much market research beforehand that I was really confident about the range I was asking for. I didn’t feel like I was asking for anything unreasonable.”
While salary negotiations are a normal part of the hiring process, experts say it’s a stone often left unturned by young candidates unsure of how to ask for more money from an employer. That same sense of intimidation is often also felt among young employees hesitant to ask for their first raise.
“The biggest mistake is not doing it,” said JMSB graduate career adviser Bob Menard.
Menard, who leads workshops on how to negotiate salary and advises students on an individual basis, said most indicate they have never negotiated a job offer.
