4 Characteristics of Terrible Salary Negotiators

Source: Salary.com

How much do you earn….No seriously, how much? Is that what you are worth or was that the figure pushed down your throat by the HR?

An interesting article on Salary.com raises important points on how your own characteristics make you the worst negotiator.

Question is, do you posses them and if you do, what do you think you can do to change that? Let’s have a look.

1.You use a weak language

Your language — not just the words you use but even your body language — play a huge role in determining success during a salary negotiation.

Whether you’re submitting your request in writing or in person, the words you use matter a great deal. You’re going into the meeting to advocate for yourself and ask for more money

‘The quickest way to fall short in this category is to use words like “maybe,” “probably,” “might,” “worried,” “confused,” and “likely” to name a few. These words do nothing to inspire confidence and cast you as wishy-washy, especially compared to other similar employees coming in to their office to ask for pay increases. So be bold, be confident, and showcase your ability and results to see a few more pennies in your paycheck.

2. You have a willingness to accept less

We get that it can be emotionally exhausting to go through the process of asking for more money. Unfortunately, because it’s so stressful, too many people end up leaving money on the table.

Negotiation is a give and take, which means taking what’s offered usually translates to settling for less. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

Also, if the company is truly unable to give you a bump in pay, get creative. There are always house allowance, paid leave days and other perks which can be negotiated as well. If you don’t advocate for yourself, no one else is going to so try not to accept the first offer.

3. You are too aggressive

The opposite of being viewed as too weak is coming on too strong.

Unfortunately, far too many employees get it in their heads that taking a hard line is somehow the express route to getting a raise, and acting strong and tough is the only way to be respected.

Taking a hard line can backfire and sometimes it’s better to be smart and savvy instead of strong and forceful.

So you want a raise? Wonderful. Now you need to figure out why you deserve it and what you’re going to say to your boss.

When you ask for a raise and base your argument on the fact that other people are outearning you, a few negative things happen. First of all, you’re risking hearing some ugly truths by finding out your coworkers — despite being there a shorter time — are actually outperforming you.

Stress your positives and accentuate all of your achievements. That’s a far cry better than whining about other employees.

4. You go in Unprepared.

Great, you want more money. But what happens when your employer asks how much more money you want? Do you know? Did you even think about it?

If you didn’t think about it until after you asked, you’ve already dug yourself a hole and you’ve made yourself look foolish and unprepared. That’s a shame because there’s absolutely no reason to go into this battle unarmed.

Time to change…don’t you think?

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