Does the idea of negotiating salary make you sick to your stomach? Don’t worry; sadly, this happens to most people. Whether it’s about salary negotiation for a new remote job or asking for a higher wage in your current one, this conversation tends to generate an awkward environment. Most people take what they are offered only to later complain about how low their salary is. So, instead of complaining and resenting this for the rest of your life, you need to realize that when someone is hiring you, you’re creating a partnership with them. You’ll be working towards the same goals, so it’s important that they pay a salary that is in accordance to your skills. In this article, we will explore the best salary negotiation tips for remote workers.
How to Negotiate a Salary
Negotiating is an art, and when it comes to your salary, you can’t just throw random numbers and say pretty words to make your new boss accept your ticket price right away. You need a strategy to help your boss see how valuable you will be to the company.
Most people think that getting accepted into a job is more than enough, so they conform to whatever salary the company offers them. A survey by Salary.com revealed that only 37% of people always negotiate their salary while 18% never do. Even worse, 44% of respondents have never brought up the subject of a raise. The main reason for these astonishing percentages is that most people fear that they will no longer be considered for the job if they ask for a higher salary.
In the remote work environment asking for a higher salary is even more intimidating because companies use the ‘’flexible work’’ card to avoid this type of request. And yes, working remotely is a privilege, but it’s also a reality now, so it’s important to accept a salary that goes according to your skills, needs, and what you’ll provide to the company.
5 Salary Negotiation Tips for Remote Workers
Not everyone is born with the skills to negotiate. Most of us need to learn them along the way, and when it comes to our salaries, it will highly benefit us to have the right cards under our sleeves. If you’re about to land a new remote job, here are the 5 salary negotiation tips you should know:
1. Salary Negotiation Is Expected
Most candidates don’t even want to mention the word salary in the first interviews. They want to get the job, and they need to look good, so negotiating a salary might seem too pushy and cause the wrong impression.
Yet, it’s the other way around; employers expect to negotiate the salary because it’s an entirely normal part of the process. That’s why in the first place, most companies don’t add the compensation in the job ad. They rather discuss it during the interview; in some cases, they ask the candidate first; in others, they are open to having a conversation about it.
2. Determine How Much You Really Need
The first step towards salary negotiation is to know how much you need. No one can establish that amount but yourself, so before going to interviews, be sure of the amount you want to negotiate or answer if they ask you about it.
There are many platforms such as Glassdoor or PayScale that help you calculate salaries worldwide, and they are especially useful for remote jobs. However, it’s a mistake to guide your answer by these platforms because only you know how much you need to live comfortably. These questions can help you establish and calculate the right amount of money you need :
- How much is it enough for your needs?
- How much do you need to live comfortably?
- How much do you need to save little money?
If you’re still unsure on how to calculate your salary, Leticia Naranjo, one of our recruiters, is here to help you. She created this short guide on how to determine how much salary to ask in an international market:
3. Remote Job Salary Negotiation & Cost of Living
One of the biggest perks of hiring a remote employee is that employers can save a lot of money. Not only because they don’t need to pay for office space (and all of what this includes) but also because hiring remote employees opens for them a world of possibilities.
Think this from their perspective; if they need to hire, let’s say, a react developer, it’s much more accessible for them to look for a remote programmer located in eastern Europe than hiring a developer in the U.S. The reason? Because the U.S. is twice expensive as other countries that have equally (or even better) talent.
So, when negotiating a salary, use the ‘cost of living card.’ Even if you’re from the U.S., there are cities cheaper than others, so if your employer sees that your salary proposal covers everything you need (and more) and it’s still less expensive than hiring someone from California or New York, you’ll instantly become a more attractive option.
4. Consider the Non-monetary Benefits
Yes, we all want a check with many zeros on it; however, money isn’t the most significant benefit when getting a new job. Besides having a good salary, other non-monetary benefits contribute to your wellbeing.
Sometimes salary negotiation is not only about money, but it’s also about the benefits an employee receives. Benefits such as:
- Health insurance
- Food
- Vacation days
- Education
- Parental leave
Some companies can be inflexible when it comes to increasing a salary but might be willing to provide future employees with other significant compensations. When calculating your ideal salary, it’s always useful to calculate how these benefits contribute to your life.
5. Go for It!
The last (but not least) of the salary negotiation tips is pretty simple but probably the hardest for most: shoot your shot. After doing the math, the calculations, and understanding where you’re standing, there’s no point in turning back. The next step is to make the salary negotiation during the interview.
However, when doing it, don’t start the interview talking about that. A good piece of advice is to highlight all your capabilities, all of what you will be providing the company, and what you have provided in your former job, and if they ask you for a salary amount, be clear about it. You have done the math; you now know how much you need to live comfortably and happily.
Salary Negotiation Tips: Final Thoughts
It doesn’t matter how many tips, articles, papers you’ve read on salary negotiation; one thing is for sure: If you don’t know your worth, it’s easy for companies to make you feel they are giving you enough. Not because they are the movie’s bad guys, but because if you don’t know your value and all your skills, they won’t know them either. So, the next time you have a job interview, be confident that you have all that it takes to perform successfully!
