You’ve made it! You’re at the final round of interviews. The big question is–should you negotiate?
According to Harris Interactive’ s 2013 study for Career Builder of 2,076 hiring managers and resource professionals , forty-nine percent of workers will not negotiate. This is definitely a lost opportunity for job seekers.
It’s true that entry-level positions may not be as flexible with negotiations. But for higher demand industries and higher level positions, companies anticipate that you’ll negotiate. The great news? Forty-five percent of employers are willing to negotiate initial offers.
Money is important but isn’t always the sole reason why we dedicate more than 37 percent of our daily lives working. Why not negotiate more than just your salary? Make a list of your absolute “must haves” and your “nice to haves” in case a company isn’t able to be flexible on salary. Check out these benefits employers said they would be able to negotiate on; are they on YOUR list?
- Flexible schedule: 33 percent. Employers are recognizing that the days of expecting workers to be at their desk by 8AM are outdated. By switching their focus on results and a flexible schedule, they are attracting and retaining a higher quality of worker, still getting the work done, and allowing the work to be performed at the employee’s peak hours of productivity.
- More vacation time: 19 percent. A well-rested worker has better year-end performance ratings and is less likely to leave the firm according to Ernst & Young. For every additional 10 hours of vacation, ratings improved by 8 percent.
- Telecommute at least once per week: 15 percent. Global Workplace Analytics gives twenty different reasons to companies why telecommuting is a good idea AND a good investment.
Harris Interactive’ s study stated thirty-eight percent of hiring managers said they would not be able to negotiate on salary or benefits. That leaves nearly a two-third of companies that are able to negotiate! Come to the negotiating table with support on why considering some of these alternative benefits are really in the company’s best interest as well as yours.
