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How to negotiate your salary

Negotiating your first salary out of school or university is likely to be new territory. Here are some tips from a professional on the best way to get that salary or wage amount you're after.

5 minute read

Finding a job in a field you want to work in or have studied for can be tough. So it’s understandable that when the first job offer finally comes, many of us take it gratefully and accept the amount on offer, without negotiating a salary beforehand. However, it’s okay to ask for more money right off the bat.

After all, employers are unlikely to take back a job offer just because you’ve asked for more money. You’re still the same person they liked in the first place, and the worst that can happen is they say no.

But of course, it’s easier said than done. So, to help answer the question of, ‘how to negotiate your first salary or apprenticeship wage’, we talked to someone who knows all about negotiations. Lance Burdett founded and runs Warn International, an agency specialising in helping people communicate. Before that, Lance spent 22 years with the New Zealand Police, with 13 of those years as a crisis negotiator in some of the most intense situations imaginable. Here’s his best advice for getting the outcome you're after.

Keep it short

“Most of my work these days is showing others how to deal with challenging people and how to hold difficult conversations. Those conversations are ones we don’t know how to start. In the old days we used to have all this waffle beforehand, then we used to get to the main point and then we’d try and finish off with some sort of agreement. It just doesn’t go well these days. Instead I use something called the Triple Sentence© technique – which covers what you want, why you need it, and what they’ve got to say about it.”

Lance’s Triple Sentence© technique fits well when negotiating salaries. It means your conversation starter might sound something like this: “I’d like to ask you about my starting salary. I’ve looked at starting salaries in this field and believe I’m worth this much. I wonder if you’ve got a moment to talk about it?”

Obviously this approach needs you to be schooled up on the salary range of people with your qualifications and experience (or lack of), so do your homework first and have a figure in mind.

Control your voice, slow things down

Asking for a pay rise before your first day can be nerve-wracking, so when you walk into the room, you’re going to be nervous. Your heart will be racing and the adrenaline will be pumping – that means you’ll speak too fast. If you’re ever going to convince the other person you’re worth more money, it’s vital you stay in control. Here’s Lance’s advice on how to achieve this and stay on top.

“When adrenaline gets into your system you speak louder, longer, and faster. Your breathing becomes shorter, your heart is pumping and you go from your logical brain to your emotional brain, which is a danger area. Unless you’re in control of that, things are going to go astray. So before you walk into the room, take a deep breath, hold it for at least three seconds and in your head either count to three or use the mantra I like, which is saying, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast”. That way, when you walk in you’ve filled your lungs with air, which means you’ve controlled your breathing. You’ve held your breath, which has slowed your heart rate. And then you’ve controlled your thoughts by saying to yourself, ‘Slow is smooth, smooth is fast’. You’ll be in a much better position, your speech will slow down and your voice won’t be as loud as it might otherwise be.”

Present yourself properly

Before you even open your mouth to speak, the other person in your salary negotiation will be judging you. It’s not necessarily a conscious thing they’re doing, Lance notes it’s something called unconscious bias, but what it means is the way you physically present yourself is important. Non-verbal cues play just as important a role as everything else.

“Stand or sit with a front-facing posture so your shoulders are square to the person you’re talking to. Try to lean forward slightly with hands on the table where they can be seen, don’t sit with your hands in your lap. People like to see your hands. Show a genuine interest in the person and listen to what they’re saying.”

Be an active listener

People love to talk about themselves, and that goes for the person you’re negotiating your salary with, so it’s important you listen to what they’re saying and respond to it. This skill is called ‘active listening’. It’s the art of making the conversation about the other person by keeping them talking, helping you get what you want. This can help build empathy and rapport, and one useful technique to achieve this is to use paraphrasing.

“Clarify what the other person says by paraphrasing. Do that by saying, ‘That’s an interesting point you’ve just made’, and then paraphrase what they said.”

So, if your potential new boss says, “We have to make sure everyone starts on the same salary, or all hell would break loose”, you could say, “That’s an interesting point you’ve just made about ensuring all employees are treated fairly, and I think the same applies to fairly judging new starters on their different merits and abilities.”

Remember to be HOT

One last piece of advice from Lance is to be HOT – Honest, Open, and To-the-point. When you’re talking about your first salary, your new boss will likely be busy and will appreciate you getting straight down to business.

“We used to be quite long-winded in how we communicate. These days it’s what I term HOT. We know that meetings go on longer than they should and people’s attention spans are shorter. So when you’re meeting people for the first time, a couple of basic rules to stick to are ‘short is best’ and ‘make it about them’. This will help you engage with them in any situation.”

In conclusion

Mastering the art of negotiating your salary is a vital step in your career journey. Remember, effective negotiation not only impacts your immediate financial wellbeing, it also sets the stage for your future earning potential. By approaching salary negotiations with confidence, research, and a clear understanding of your worth, you can pave the way for a successful and rewarding career path. 

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