Negotiating
Once you’ve received an offer for a position and reviewed the compensation package carefully, you’ll need to assess whether you want to negotiate.
Use Glassdoor and Salary.com to get a better understanding of typical hourly rates and salaries for similar positions in your industry and geographic area. Then assess your baseline hourly rate/salary: what would you need to make in order to meet your financial needs? If you feel that the offer is too low, you can try to negotiate a higher hourly rate or salary.
Beginning the Negotiation
You may want to consider reaching out to the hiring manager or HR person to inquire whether there is any room for negotiation. Here’s an example of what you could say in a phone call or email:
“Thank you for providing me with an offer. I am excited about the opportunity to join your team. The compensation package looks good overall, though I did want to know if there is any flexibility with the salary/hourly rate?”
When asking for more money, you’ll need to make a case as to why it’s warranted. Note to the hiring manager that you feel the pay you were offered is lower for similar positions in your industry, or that you’re bringing a higher set of skills to the role than typical applicants.