How to Negotiate Your Salary When You Have Multiple Job Offers
Having to decide between multiple job offers is a problem many people would love to have. Multiple job offers put you in the optimal position to and benefits. Even so, there is an art and a process for salary negotiation.
When facing multiple job offers, your potential employers likely have some wiggle-room in your starting salary range. However, don't forget this is part of the early impression you're forming with a future employer. Approaching salary negotiations with professionalism will better your chance of increasing your salary offer and help start your future employment on the right foot.
Should You Request a Higher Salary With Multiple Job Offers?
Salary is not the only measure of whether a job is a good fit. Multiple job offers may seem like the ideal time to . Whether the purpose is for your current employer to entice you to stay or for potential employers to lure you away, be careful to consider the entirety of the offers.
While you may prioritize salary in your negotiations, don't forget to consider the following as well:
| Benefits | If you have to pay out of pocket due to lacking or inadequate benefits, such as health insurance, your out-of-pocket costs could easily outweigh any increase in salary from one job to the next. |
| Time Off | Whether sick, vacation, or for personal days, time off can help employees recharge and prevent both mental and physical burnout. |
| Company Culture | A company culture that is not a good fit for your personality and aspirations will likely lead to a lack of fulfillment or a quick job change. |
| Advancement Opportunities | While a short-term gain in salary may help immediately, if you forfeit the potential for long-term advancement opportunities, you are simply trading an even better future salary for a smaller increase in the present. |
| Longevity | How established is the company or companies offering a better salary? A great opportunity now could mean job-hunting again soon with a company lacking financial stability. |
| Retirement Benefits | Consider whether the better salary offer includes a retirement plan and how robust that plan is compared to other offers. If retirement planning is important to you, the quality of the plan offered and any employer matching plans may play a big part in your decision. |
That's certainly not to say that you shouldn't negotiate salary when many other benefits are present, just that you should consider your salary as a package alongside benefits.
How Not to Negotiate Your Salary
As important as it is to know how to negotiate your salary when you have multiple job offers, it's equally important to understand how not to. When you have multiple offers, you may be tempted to make demands because it feels like you hold all the cards. However, this strategy can backfire and leave you with no employer at all.
The following tips on what not to do will help you avoid pitfalls in salary negotiations:
- Insufficient research. Basing your requested salary solely on what you need to meet your obligations or what you "feel" is appropriate compensation for your work. This could lead to either grossly undervaluing or overvaluing the salary range for your position.
- Revealing all your cards. Negotiations involve give and take. If you reveal how much you are willing to take up front, you've shown your hand, and further negotiations are unlikely.
- Taking salary negotiations personally. Salary negotiations are business decisions, not personal ones. Avoid burning bridges if salary negotiations don't work out. Just because now isn't the right fit doesn't mean later won't be.
- Lack of written confirmation. When salary negotiations result in compensation acceptable to both parties, it's crucial to get the final details in writing. Ultimately, if it's not in writing, it didn't happen.
How to Request a Larger Salary
You've considered the entirety of all of your offers, carefully reviewed what not to do, and now you're ready to begin salary negotiations, but where do you start? Whether your salary negotiations are by phone, email, or in person, below are some key points to keep in mind:
- Be professional. It's possible to be persistent without being a nuisance and to point out flaws in an offer without being rude. Maintain professionalism throughout the process.
- Give them a reason. Asking for a larger salary without justifying your qualifications is not likely to succeed. Make sure you articulate your skills and qualifications.
- Be prepared to ask and answer tough questions. Honesty and integrity will get you far.
- Do your homework. Cite the average industry salary for your role and increases in the consumer price index and inflation.
- Reference job costs. If a new job means an expense for moving to a new location, be prepared to discuss those expenses.
Sound overwhelming? It can be. The time and emotional toll of researching and putting all the information together in a professional way can cause many prospective employees to leave money on the table. That doesn't have to be you. DoNotPay can help.
DoNotPay Helps Make Professional Salary Negotiations for Multiple Job Offers Succeed
If you lack confidence in starting salary negotiations with multiple job offers, DoNotPay will generate a comprehensive salary negotiation document that will have you juggling job offers like a pro.
All you have to do is:
- Search "negotiate my salary" on DoNotPay.
- Enter the name of your company and the industry you work in, so we can find the right wage statistics for your role.
- Answer a series of questions regarding your qualifications and achievements, relocation expenses, and other job offers if applicable.
- Enter the new base salary you would like to request.
And that's it! Once the information is finalized, DoNotPay will generate an official salary negotiation letter that you can then email or present to your employer!
What Else Can DoNotPay Do?
Now that you're well on your way to the best possible salary scenario from your multiple job offers, what else can DoNotPay make faster, easier, and more successful?
There are quite a few everyday tasks DoNotPay can help with, including:
You've got a career to pursue, among other things. Let DoNotPay help you strike the mundane off your list so you can move on to the extraordinary.