By Joe Grimm
Q. I am a recent college
graduate, and I am so excited/happy to say I got a couple of reporting
job offers. The part I don't know how to do is negotiate a salary. How
do I know if I am getting a good offer? How much more can I ask for?
What exactly do people say when they ask for more money?
My potential employers don't have to know that I'm just really excited to get a job in journalism and would do it for practically nothing. I guess what I'm hearing from advisers is that I should try to get as much money as possible to start with and not sell myself short. I think I have some good skills to sell, as well as solid reporting (i.e. multimedia and search engine optimization skills).
Thanks so much for your advice.
Let's Make a Deal
A. Your advisers are correct. The larger salary bumps come when we start new jobs, whether moving into a new company or making advances within one. Year-to-year raises are smaller.
It is impossible to know how much they will really pay. You have to negotiate and are perfectly within your rights to do so.
Begin by asking what the pay range is for people getting the job you're being offered. Get all the other details of the offer as well, including vacation time and moving costs. When the actual offer is made, don't immediately say anything. People at the company often settle on an initial offer and a second offer they can make if pressed. Silence might make them step right up to that second offer.
If they wait you out, simply ask for more money without making anyone feel cheap: "Well, I was really expecting to make more than that." Remind them of your special qualifications. If they ask how much more you'd like, ask for at least 10 or 20 percent more than the initial offer.
They might say no, but it is unlikely they will withdraw the offer altogether. If they try to up your pay by offering a bonus, try to get a higher base instead. Base pay is used to determine future raises. A $500 raise in the base is way more valuable than a $1,000 bonus because it will be with you for your entire career.
There is more on negotiating first salaries in Breaking In: The www.Jobspage.com Guide to Newspaper Internships.
Coming Monday: He has been modestly successful and is unencumbered by family obligation or pension vesting. The doom and gloom make him wonder: Is now a good time to escape journalism?
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