A salary negotiation is a deal breaker or a deal sealer since either you can come out of it looking like a fool — over demanding and high-maintenance — or it might be a win-win situation for both you and your future employer. Keeping your company profile, your past experience, previous package and the industry norm in mind, go ahead and compose the very important and vital letter of your professional life — the salary negotiation letter! Going about the entire process of salary negotiation in a conversational and respectful tone, rather than a confrontational and demanding one, is certainly more effective. It is always best to negotiate one’s salary at a later stage and not on the first day of interview itself. This is when the need arises to write a salary negotiation letter. During the course of the interview you need to assimilate other information, like the company profile, how well are you suited for the company, the package that they are willing to offer, etc. It is only when you have pondered upon every aspect and look at the bigger picture after careful research that you should draft a salary negotiation letter. Follow us in the next section for a basic draft of the salary negotiation letter!
Job Offer Negotiation Letter
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First and foremost, do your research thoroughly. Realising your market value is simple — it is the salary slip from your previous job! The salary range for your next job should therefore logically be greater than your earlier job. Keep in mind the size and profile of the company, economy status and supply of suitable candidates for the position you are competing for.
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Negotiate to get a sweeter deal by following the rules and strategies that are observed between negotiating parties. Don’t negotiate if you have better offers or if you are half hearted about joining the organisation. State your strengths and list the feathers on your cap for a better deal.
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To begin with, you have to demand a higher salary than what you are expecting so that the counter proposal from the employer’s side is nearer to your original target package. Always try to prove and justify your worth to your potential employer — tell them about the increase in productivity and efficiency that will ensue once you’re a part of the team.
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Think real deep and hard as to what constitutes minimum compensation for you and, most importantly, be realistic. If yours is an entry level work and you are a fresher with no experience then your room for negotiation is very narrow.
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Here is a sample letter that you can refer to while composing your salary negotiation letter. You can tweak it to suit your particular situation.
From:
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your Email
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your Email
Subject: Your Name – Regarding: Position that you interviewed for
To,
Name of your interviewer
Title
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
Name of your interviewer
Title
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
I am very pleased to have received the offer of XYZ (job position here) with ABC Organization (name of the Organization here) and look forward to accepting it. I am convinced that my 10 years of experience in this field will be a great asset for your organization and the terms of the offer are acceptable to me with a few minor modifications.
You have offered me a base Salary of XXX (mention the salary that you have been offered) per year. I have researched the industry norms for the position of XYZ and I believe that a salary of ZZZ (quote your salary expectation here) is more in-line with the experience and knowledge that I would bring to the job.
The position in question with your esteemed organization is of great interest to me. I sincerely believe that it corresponds to my professional objectives and that, with my experience, I will be able to make a strong contribution to your organization. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the above mentioned modification with you in person anytime soon.
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Name
Date:
Location:
