10 ways to overcome emotions at the time of salary negotiation | Calibr

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5 min readOct 29, 2018

Emotions play a great role in decision-making and salary negotiations need you to be completely in charge of them to get the best deal.

Negotiating salaries can be a daunting task for most people. However, negotiations are important to bring your pay up to the mark and match it with your skills and position in an organization. To achieve this feat, it is important to learn the art of polite and non-defensive salary negotiations. It is also important to not let your emotions come in the way of negotiating a better salary. The following tips would help you overcome emotions during salary negotiation in a commanding manner.

How to overcome emotions during salary negotiation?

Your emotions may have an adverse effect on your negotiating ability, which is why it is important to keep the emotions at bay before you meet with the person in charge of your salary. If you are in a terrible mood, you will not be able to put your points across in an effective manner and ask for a better pay for yourself. Emotions like anger, annoyance, fear, desperation, and sadness, will negatively impact your negotiation skills. On the other hand, over enthusiasm, eagerness, and the willingness to please your employer can get you a bad deal as well.

So, here are the 10 best ways of overcoming emotions during salary negotiation.

Focus on the facts and numbers

Keep all the data that you may need for negotiating a better pay on hand before you take the meeting to discuss your salary. If you are looking at a new offer, make sure you have done your market research and are privy to what you are worth. Remember these points, make sure you point out to your skills and previous personal achievements.

Use language effectively

Do not use vague words and phrases like “maybe”, “if you could”, “I think”, et al. It is important that you sound confident in your abilities. Show them what you are worth and why you are worth it, then rest your case. The ball is in the hiring manager’s court to then take a call.

Maintain your composure by being present to the moment

It is important that you maintain your demeanour at all times. Do not get angry or annoyed, if you do, do not show it to them. Do not let the negotiation get irrational or rude. Also, do not show your fear.

Make use of your people skills

If you think your fear will hinder your negotiation skills, practice your people skills and get them to perfection. Like introverts, be a good listener. See what is at stake. Be an observer, before you leap at the situation and things go out of hand. Make sure you are having a conversation, not a confrontation with your hiring manager.

Be positive and have the right attitude

If the hiring managers point out to your certain lack of skills, take it in a positive way, and point out at how you are a quick learner and are ready to take up newer challenges. Tell them how you are willing to work on it and would be able to acquire the skills if given some time. This will show to the hiring manager that you are willing to learn, grow, and fight for the salary you’re asking for.

Let your questions be open-ended

Make sure you don’t put an end to the conversation without properly negotiating your salary and rushing to say a yes or a no. Ask them questions about the approximate pay scale they have for the position in question. Ask them on what basis are employees evaluated and when can you look forward to your first performance evaluation, leading up to a hike in the salary.

When your questions are open-ended, the hiring manager would be required to put in some amount of thought into answering your questions, which will give you the time, space and matter to negotiate further with them and increase the scope of doubling your salary. Asking them questions which require a simple yes or no for an answer will leave you no scope to negotiate further.

Be prepared for the worst-case scenario

Before you step into that meeting with the hiring manager, ask yourself — what is the worst that can happen. Make sure it does not happen when you take the meeting. But even if it does, be prepared to confront the situation. Plan and act accordingly, so that you don’t say anything out of place or inappropriate. Make sure you do not let anger or fear take over you because that will lead to a total disaster.

Be prepared for a no

If the hiring manager refuses to raise your salary after making the initial offer, know that it is not the end of the world. See how much you need the extra money you are asking for, and take a call accordingly. Figure out if the work and time spent there is worth the money being offered, or would you like to look at other opportunities. See if the company is offering other non-monetary benefits and perks. Whatever it is that you decide to do, do not panic.

Know your bottom line

It is always better to have a margin for your request as well. When you ask for a higher salary, the hiring manager will try their best to bring it down as much as possible. It is important that you remain flexible, yet firm at the same time. Know the bottom line, do not go below that.

Be in control of your expectations

Going to a salary negotiation meeting with a number you feel confident about removes the emotion factor completely from the situation, making it easier for you to communicate that number to the hiring manager, as well as increasing the chances of you getting the said figure. That makes it easier for you to streamline your negotiation process without any fear.

The fact is that, at the end of the day, the only emotion which would matter is your own happiness at the way the events proceeded. Aiming for such an end would help you keep at bay, the negativities which may distract you during negotiations. This will surely help you to overcome during salary negotiation and hence

Think, plan, and proceed.

Source: https://calibr.ai/blogs/10-ways-to-overcome-emotions-at-the-time-of-salary-negotiation

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