A Beginner's Guide to Negotiating Salary and Benefits

Landing your dream job is a great achievement. Most people take the offer without negotiating it. But did you know that can get you the best out of a job offer? That said, negotiating salary and benefits can be difficult and requires a lot of caution as it can get you ahead or, in the worst case, deny you the job offer.

DoNotPay is an online company that helps write negotiation letters that you can present to your company after you receive your job offer.

How to Negotiate Your Salary and Benefits

When , you have to put the following considerations in mind. This will guide you on how to go about the process.

What you have been offered.
What you want and what you are worth.
The company history.
Your approach.
Your expectations.

How to Negotiate Salary and Benefits by Yourself

Negotiating salary and benefits can be a very challenging task. Below are some of the approaches you could use:

Understand What You Have Been Offered and the Terms

Before you begin the process of negotiating salary and benefits, understand the terms of your contract. Is it short-term, long-term, temporary, or fixed? Understand if it has a probationary period or not.

This is important because some benefits are only available for certain terms. You may not be able to negotiate much if your offer has a probation period or a short-term contract.

Flexibility

You need to research and understand how flexible the employer is. Finding inside information on how much they pay will help you determine how much they are willing to add on top of what they have offered you.

Know Your Worth

There's a reason they picked you over the other candidates. This could be because of your unique skills. While negotiating for salary and benefits, ensure you point out what you are bringing to the table.

This includes achievements, credentials, track record, the value you will add to the company, and your work ethic. These will give you an edge while negotiating salary and benefits.

Benefits Provided

Most candidates worry more about negotiating the salary and forget the benefits which are equally important. Ask what benefits they are offering you and negotiate where you can. Such benefits include transport allowance, call allowance, overtime allowance amongst others.

Opportunities for Growth

This is as important as the job itself. You can negotiate on how often you will be offered opportunities for growth. This will help you grow and earn more.

Settle On a Number

You must approach this with tact and do not be the first to mention a number. This is because you may short-change yourself. If you allow your managers to set a number, it allows you more room to negotiate.

Confirm by Signing

A verbal acceptance or agreement doesn't hold any water. You need to sign your contract and ensure you read through it before signing. You can also consult your lawyer before signing.

This is because your contract is a legally binding document and you want to be certain of the terms.

Extra Tips to Get the Salary & Benefits That You Want

In addition, here are some extra tips for a better chance of higher pay and benefits:

Be backed with hard data	Knowing your worth is not enough, you need to back it with data. Show evidence of what you are worth. Compile past achievements that justify your salary and benefits and how much you further help the institution.
Timing	Knowing when to negotiate is critical when asking for a higher salary or better benefits. For example, don't bring up a negotiation when the fiscal year is about to end when budgets are already settled.
Be confident	If you know you are worth more than they are offering don't be reluctant to negotiate for higher pay and better benefits. Advocating for yourself is a sign of confidence that can help you get the salary point and perks that you wanted.

Next Steps for Negotiating Salary and Benefits if You Can’t Do It Yourself

As we have seen, the process of negotiating a salary and benefits can be very tedious and, in some cases, unproductive. You can make it easier by contacting third-party agents such as DoNotPay for help.

DoNotPay will help you by writing a negotiation letter for salary and benefits. You can present this letter to your employer and hopefully get your desired salary and benefits.

How to negotiate your salary and benefits using DoNotPay:

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!

DoNotPay Works Across All Companies With the Click of a Button

DoNotPay works across all companies at the touch of a button. DoNotPay can help you apply for credit cards the same way it helps you negotiate salary and benefits.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

In addition to negotiating salary, DoNotPay can also help with raises:

When to ask for a raise
How often should I get a raise
How can I get a raise

Besides negotiating your deserved salary and raise, DoNotPay can also:

Getting a job offer is exciting, especially if you have been searching for some time. While it may be tempting to dive in and settle on what's offered, you may want to negotiate the salary and benefits and see if you can get more. It's a difficult task, especially if you are doing it yourself.

DoNotPay will help you successfully negotiate your salary and benefits and this service is available to you at the touch of a button.