Negotiating the Terms of Your Compensation - Continued

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Identify all your interests

Both you and your employer probably have concerns or aspirations that are not strictly monetary. You might want CFP training without having to pay for it. The employer can satisfy this interest in more than one way: by building a cushion into the salary that would cover schooling costs or paying for the schooling on your behalf. You might also want one flex day per week or the ability to work from home a few times a month. You may value being able to leave by five o'clock consistently to pick up your children, rapid promotions, a gym membership or full health care.

Before you walk in to the negotiation, prioritize your various interests and identify places where you are willing to trade one thing of value for something else. Is the salary more important than stock options? Is a gym membership more important than a review and likely promotion in six months?

When you negotiate the terms of the deal, discover what your employer's various interests and reveal your own insofar as this would benefit you. Maybe the employer cannot go above sixty-five grand and still maintain equity of salary within the company. Find out whether the negotiator has full decision-making capability, or if he is representing someone else who makes the compensation decisions. Your employer may be able to offset a concession on your part by paying for your education, offering stock incentives, or giving you a signing bonus. Be creative.

Compete and Cooperate

If your counter-part is using hard-ball tactics like being forceful, brisk or patently stubborn, you will do better not to lie on the ground and wait for him to stomp on your back. If you encounter someone who wants to play hard-ball, respond strategically. Do not allow the person to bait you. Remember your goals and why your requests are fair. Withhold information that might weaken your position. On the other hand, if your counterpart makes a concession, it is important that you also appear cooperative. You might need to make a concession as well. Negotiating is not about winning, so much as it is a dance towards a certain goal. Each person makes moves with reference to the moves of the other person. When both people dance together, it becomes less likely that either person will suffer bruised toes or damaged egos.