Thinking about salary is one thing, negotiating about it is another. It’s something that isn’t always as easy for everyone. I had my first experience with salary negotiation when I first got a job. An offer was made to me and without a doubt I accepted it; didn’t I want to keep working there?! The night after, I kept thinking about it. What did I actually benefit from this offer? What was the salary that I could ask for? What was my attributed value in the business? I decided to look further into the answers to these questions and to request another meeting. My employer came up with a second offer, and we had a deal! I didn’t only get a higher salary, but it also gave me an educational experience. That is why I would like to share some practical tips on how you too can negotiate your salary.

Tips for negotiating

• Find out what you’re worth, for example by checking out websites or tools that help you calculate your salary. What salary is suitable for your age, experience and job? By researching this properly, you know what to expect during your negotiations. Make sure you know the minimum salary you want to earn and what your ideal salary would be.
• Make your employer comwe with an offer first and take your time to think about it; you don’t have to give a response right away! Always negotiate the offer. Your employer will present you with an offer, in which they often already take salary negotiations into account.
• Think about this by asking yourself: is this the salary I expected?
• Your employer’s offer isn’t only about your monthly salary, but also about secondary benefits. Think of vacation days, profit distribution, pension, training budget and a 13th month. If you don’t agree on the salary, these are benefits you can also negotiate.

Personal development

The goal of a negotiation is that both parties are satisfied with the outcome and that you make good agreements. Do you want to grow to a certain salary? Make good agreements about what goals you have, and what increase in salary is suitable for these goals. Also make sure that you document these agreements in your contract. This way you both know what the expectations are for the future and you have a clear goal to work towards!