Contributed by Adrienne Lindsey, Marketing and Business Development at Geo Engineers.

To negotiate or not to negotiate? Should that even be a question? Our panel discussion on June 25 about salary negotiation and researching the topic leads me to think that the answer should be yes. It was surprising to hear that 60% of applicants will accept an initial offer without negotiating. And honestly, negotiating can be difficult, especially if one hasn’t done it before. Our panelists - Kelsey Parpart, CPSM (Century West Engineering), Brenden Anderson (Aerotek), and Jason Joyce, SHRM-CP (Mackay Sposito) - shared their advice and perspectives on the topic during the June 25 members-only event.

By the end of the panel discussion, a few common themes had emerged as key components employees should take into account when negotiating a salary/compensation package.

1. Know what the market salary range is for the position. Then know what your bottom salary is and what a “win-win” situation is for you personally.
2. Understand the value you bring to an employer. Employers want to know that a salary or raise is warranted. For someone at the coordinator level, an additional way of showcasing your growth is by discussing the things you weren’t doing at the beginning of the year versus what you are doing now. For more seasoned marketers that could be explaining how the many years of experience and skills will be a huge benefit to the company.

3. Be flexible. Company’s are legally bound to make sure that salaries for their employees are equitable, so while they may be limited in what salary they can offer, there may be other non-monetary benefits (i.e., vacation, flex schedule/location) that can be negotiated.

Read on for some more specific advice our panelists shared.

Barriers to Negotiating

It is common for people, especially women, to hesitate at the negotiating table because they don’t want to seem too "pushy” or “confident” to question whether they are really qualified. Or they underestimate themselves because they don’t have every single skill listed in the job description. Furthermore, many people are more comfortable negotiating for others, rather than themselves. Ultimately, people will end up chipping away at their qualifications until they’ve talked themselves into accepting the lower end of the salary range.

The reality is that most job descriptions list every single desired qualifications of a position, and most employers can accept that you may not have everything. In response, you should advocate for the skills and experience you do have and demonstrate the value they bring to the employer. Demonstrate how the experience and skills you have will be a benefit to the company – whether you have 25+ years of experience or 3 years.

Going into a Negotiation

Some advice from our panelists from both the employee and employer perspective about how to approach a negotiation:

Understand what you want/need. Take some time to understand what you like and don’t like as an employee, and do some self-critique/self-growth assessments. Know what you’re good at, what you value in an employer, and how you want to grow in your career. It’s important to go into a negotiation knowing what the minimum salary you’re willing to accept, and if there are other benefits you want/need (i.e., working from home, flex hours, ownership, etc.). These wants and needs will change throughout your career. We found this self-assessment article on job-hunt.org you should check out.

Research the salary range. There are many resources available for understanding what the salary range(s) are for the job level/position. Having the market range will inform your idea of what you’ll accept at a minimum (with other benefits), including:

• Salary surveys. See a brief list of available surveys at the end of this blog.
• Your peer network. Ask your peers/colleagues for their advice and what pay level they’re at.

• An understanding of what you want to make in the position.

Know that it’s not just about salary. There is a whole collection of benefits and incentives that go into the compensation package a company offers. Some of these things (like vacation) could also be negotiable. If you’re interviewing for a new job, go ahead and ask for the employee handbook or a compensation package summary so you know what is being offered ahead of time. Some items beyond salary commonly included in a compensation package may include:

• Long-term incentives, like ownership options
• Ancillary benefits, like health/dental insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, 401(k) options and matching policy
• Stipends, such as transportation or gym
• Bonusing structures
• Professional development membership dues
• Vacation/PTO
• Telecommuting/work from home

• Wellness programs

If you’re asking for a raise, there are few other preparation activities you can do (in addition to the advice described above):

Record your accomplishments and have examples, such as:

• Keep kudos/accolade notes and/or keep a record of successful projects you worked on.
• Keep track of when you go “above and beyond” and the benefit the company got from that.
• Use measures and metrics. They are the best tool for setting the foundation for a discussion with your manager.
• Mention the small wins throughout the year (and keep a record of them). If something awesome happens, don’t be afraid to celebrate or praise that success. You don’t have to praise yourself (i.e., “I did it”), but rather praise the team’s success (i.e., “we did it”).
• Knowing the financial impact on the firm of the projects you’re working on – the ROI of the projects you helped bring in the door.

• Work with your manager to find something you can own (social media, lead tracking, conference planning, etc.) and use this as an example of taking on responsibility and successfully managing a process/event/etc.

Use your HR team. Take the time to understand how your employer sets compensation structures and equity structures. Ask for advice on how to approach your manager.

Work throughout the year to really understand the technical side of the business. Don’t be afraid to ask your technical staff questions about the work or project and get to know what they do. You don’t have to be an architect, contractor, or engineer to be able to learn the lingo and get a basic understanding of the technical aspects of your company’s projects. This can help elevate you to being viewed as a valued member of the team, and not just in a “support role.”

Don’t expect an immediate answer. Give your manager a heads up so they have time to prepare and get in the right mindset for the discussion.

At the Table

1. Don’t be afraid to bring up the salary discussion. Most HR personnel will bring up the salary discussion at some point, but if they don’t you should prompt them by either asking what the salary range and compensation/benefits package for the position is, or offer up what you would like to be making in the position.
2. Be confident in what your value is.Be able to explain it.
3. You don’t have to accept the first offer. But to negotiate you will need to articulate the value you bring to the table, know the salary ranges for the position, and decide what your bottom acceptable salary is and if you will accept other non-salary benefits in lieu of money.
4. If interviewing at a new company, be prepared to answer the salary question going into the first interview.

Resources

Salary Survey

• SMPS-Oregon (updated every year; last updated in 2018)
• SMPS National (updated every year)

• American Civil Engineering Council (ACEC)

Example Job Descriptions

• Blueprints
• SMPS National