Negotiating Your Salary- Clarify what qualifies you to make more than average and
more than the company’s initial offer. Complete the qualifica-
tions worksheet at the end of this chapter. What added value do
you bring to the employer? Read the job description (if there is
one), and analyze how and why you, as compared to the “average”
applicant, can add more to the bottom-line profits of the company.
Use your skills assessments and Q statements to make your case.
Ask yourself the following:- Can I help the company make money?
- How about saving money?
- Could my skills be used to help speed up production,
decrease waste, add a valued service, or improve cus-
tomer relations? - Do I have stories illustrating that I perform consistently
over quota? - Could I act as a manager or executive who would handle
bigger budgets, manage more effective teams, and pro-
vide measurably superior leadership? - Can I prove that my organizational skills can save the
company time? - Can I demonstrate that my public relations or customer
service skills could turn the company image around? - Can I help save training time by being an independent,
bright self-starter who learns quickly and doesn’t mind
jumping in head first? - Do I have innovative ideas that could bring distinction,
respect, and perhaps awards to the company? - Can I prove, with examples, that I can get it done faster,
better, cleaner, safer, more beautifully, or more accurately?
Acquaint yourself with what the average job expectations are,
and then use Q statements to prove you can exceed them. If
there’s no job description, look up a typical job description
for the position in the Occupational Outlook Handbook—a mas-
sive encyclopedia published by the U.S. Department of Labor
that features not only job descriptions but also salary reports,
job requirements, and future economic outlook for more than