In this episode, Kevin Cameron tackles the often nerve-wracking process of negotiating a job offer. He provides listeners with a playbook for confidently navigating salary, benefits, and overall compensation. The key is approaching negotiation as a problem-solving exercise, not a battle, and understanding that negotiation is often expected and not a mistake. Kevin Cameron reminds you that "they're typically going to have some buffer, a little bit of a little bit of a little bit more, more, more charged emotionally than others ." The goal is to get to a place where both parties feel it works well, ideally landing you somewhere in the max band of their salary range.

Key Takeaways

Negotiation is a professional skill you should always try to use, and many people don't negotiate salary, so asking puts you ahead. Know your target number and your "walk away" number before you start. You should aim to negotiate more than just salary; consider benefits, tuition reimbursement, and other pieces of the total compensation package. Have a clear understanding of the full job offer, including the benefits statement, to ensure you're making the right decision. Avoid letting the process become emotional or adversarial; keep it calm and controlled.

Episode Highlights

Understanding the Negotiation Process: Learn how the different layers—the recruiter, the HR generalist, and the hiring manager - are typically involved in negotiation.

Compensation and Benefits: Kevin Cameron details the many items that can be negotiated, including professional development/tuition, sign-on bonuses, PTO, and flexible work arrangements.

The Power of Asking: Discover what stops people from negotiating and why you should absolutely go for it, using your current and future role as leverage.

Timing Your Negotiation: Understand when in the process you should introduce a negotiation and how to manage the back and forth.

Timestamps

00:00:54 We're going to dig into negotiation: Kevin Cameron starts talking about why negotiation is important and why people should do it.

00:01:21 It's a very scary place: Hear how common it is to find the negotiation process intimidating and what the right mindset should be.

00:01:40 The kind of things we do: Learn about the importance of homework and representing yourself in the negotiation.

00:03:40 You're pretty blunt: Discussion around transparency and how being direct in your needs can be an advantage.

00:05:32 First piece of information: Understand the importance of obtaining your total rewards statement and what it details.

00:06:50 You can negotiate: An overview of the various components beyond just salary that are negotiable, such as paid time off and flexible work.

00:10:04 Professional development: Digging deeper into non-salary items like tuition reimbursement and development budgets.

00:14:18 Signing bonus: Insights into what a signing bonus is and the "clawback" clause often associated with it.

00:15:33 The recruiter: Explaining the role of the recruiter (whether third-party or in-house HR) and their position in the negotiation process.

00:20:00 Don't fake it: Advice on maintaining authenticity and avoiding attempts to bluff during negotiation.

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Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/