Fearless Interviewing- It is not a cutthroat battle to the finish, where the winner
finally gets what he or she wants and the loser storms out
and slams the door. - It is not a balancing of a scale, where the two parties
meet right in the middle and neither really gets what he
or she wants.
Rather than using the metaphor of a “battle to the finish” or a
“balancing of the scales,” I’d like you to think about negotiating
in terms of an “open door.” In open-door negotiating, there are
no declarations of finality, no threats, and no settling for some-
thing mediocre just because it happens to be in the middle.
There especially isn’t a passive acceptance of the first offer you
get just because you fear you might lose the job if you mention a
higher figure. Open-door negotiating is about creating possibili-
ties, carefully weighing those possibilities, and coming to a civi-
lized agreement.
The Rules of Open-Door Negotiating
There are several rules to observe in the game of open-door
negotiating if you want to play it well:
- Try to postpone the salary discussion until a job offer has
been made or until you are in a second interview. - Do not be the first one to mention an exact amount of
money, no matter how many ways the interviewer tries to
get you to inform him or her of what you earned or what
you wish to earn in the future. - Speak in terms of ranges of salary rather than using
exact figures. - Postpone saying no to an offer until you are sure you
have all the information. - Postpone saying yes to an offer until you are sure you
have all the information. - Postpone, postpone, postpone. There is no reason to
rush a salary discussion, especially when that discussion
could add 15 to 20 percent to your earnings. Be patient.