The most significant impact a person can have on their long term career earnings is to engage in negotiating salary early in their career. This will have a direct impact on the amount of earning potential they have in their future.
This might be considered whether it is your first job out of university or if it's a mid-life job change. Further, there are financial impacts when you are in your career working for an employer that you are very happy with, of not negotiating your salary with the best timing.
Throughout your career, you may earn pay raises and promotions within the company that you work for, but for example, when the company offers scheduled raises, as many companies do, the impact of the starting salary with that company is huge.
This is not only applicable to your first salary negotiation and subsequent incremental pay raises but also to salary differentials you may get when you changes roles within a company. You may switch into a job requiring significantly increased duties, effort, or responsibilities, and the salary you had earned beforehand can genuinely influence the starting salary at the new job.
As an example, imagine a person starting a new job as a QA analyst in a high tech company somewhere in America. Suppose that person begins with a starting salary of $45,000. Most likely that person will have to put in 6 months to a full year before they are offered their first pay raise. Suppose it is a 10% raise which would be HUGE at many employers. The employee would gain an additional $4500 per annum based on that increase.
Suppose that same person started at $55,000 or more. That same pay hike of 10% would provide the same employee $5500 additional salary per year. With the first salary band, the employee would still be under the $50,000 mark after one full year of effort and after a 10% pay increase, while in the second situation the employee would be at over $60,000 a year after a 10% pay increment.
Imagine the compound impact of these two starting salaries on the person's earning potential. First let's examine a four year timeline, all other things being equal (that is, assuming no pay raises and no promotions). The employee earning $45,000 will have earned $180K in gross salary in four years. The person earning $55K will have earned $220,000 in 4 years. That is a $40,000 difference just because of where the person started in terms of salary.
Introduce a ten percent raise after year 1 and consider the impact as the person moves through their career. The person with a most salary in the beginning will always be ahead of the person with the lower starting salary, all things being equal (i.e. identical job, identical job performance). The person with the higher salary will be getting ahead faster than the person starting with the lower salary. This impact multiplies with each coming year assuming the same annual percentage pay raise for each.
When requesting a pay increase, if a person earning $50,000 earns a 5% raise without negotiating anything additional, that's okay. But consider the impact if the person negotiates a 15% increase because they have really performed well in the job and they have all the supporting research and a track record to command it. That employee will have negotiated $7,500 in a raise versus just accepting $2500. Multiply that by 10 years, and there is a clear $50,000 difference in the person's salary potential.
Many experts feel it goes without saying that it is better to try negotiating a raise or an improvement to the compensation package than to simply accept what is offered. The first offer is usually the lowest offer and can be improved upon. This negotiation must be done with masterful skills and must be well founded with a supporting case for the increase.
We must also consider factors such as the job market, company guidelines, and on the job performance. However when well executed, it can really pay off. Remember to consider the importance of all factors of compensation when in salary negotiation. Some people truly value their spare time and quality of life, while others are willing to venture out and accept stock options instead of extra salary.
When it comes to negotiating salary, be courageous and consider requesting for more.
This might be considered whether it is your first job out of university or if it's a mid-life job change. Further, there are financial impacts when you are in your career working for an employer that you are very happy with, of not negotiating your salary with the best timing.
Throughout your career, you may earn pay raises and promotions within the company that you work for, but for example, when the company offers scheduled raises, as many companies do, the impact of the starting salary with that company is huge.
This is not only applicable to your first salary negotiation and subsequent incremental pay raises but also to salary differentials you may get when you changes roles within a company. You may switch into a job requiring significantly increased duties, effort, or responsibilities, and the salary you had earned beforehand can genuinely influence the starting salary at the new job.
As an example, imagine a person starting a new job as a QA analyst in a high tech company somewhere in America. Suppose that person begins with a starting salary of $45,000. Most likely that person will have to put in 6 months to a full year before they are offered their first pay raise. Suppose it is a 10% raise which would be HUGE at many employers. The employee would gain an additional $4500 per annum based on that increase.
Suppose that same person started at $55,000 or more. That same pay hike of 10% would provide the same employee $5500 additional salary per year. With the first salary band, the employee would still be under the $50,000 mark after one full year of effort and after a 10% pay increase, while in the second situation the employee would be at over $60,000 a year after a 10% pay increment.
Imagine the compound impact of these two starting salaries on the person's earning potential. First let's examine a four year timeline, all other things being equal (that is, assuming no pay raises and no promotions). The employee earning $45,000 will have earned $180K in gross salary in four years. The person earning $55K will have earned $220,000 in 4 years. That is a $40,000 difference just because of where the person started in terms of salary.
Introduce a ten percent raise after year 1 and consider the impact as the person moves through their career. The person with a most salary in the beginning will always be ahead of the person with the lower starting salary, all things being equal (i.e. identical job, identical job performance). The person with the higher salary will be getting ahead faster than the person starting with the lower salary. This impact multiplies with each coming year assuming the same annual percentage pay raise for each.
When requesting a pay increase, if a person earning $50,000 earns a 5% raise without negotiating anything additional, that's okay. But consider the impact if the person negotiates a 15% increase because they have really performed well in the job and they have all the supporting research and a track record to command it. That employee will have negotiated $7,500 in a raise versus just accepting $2500. Multiply that by 10 years, and there is a clear $50,000 difference in the person's salary potential.
Many experts feel it goes without saying that it is better to try negotiating a raise or an improvement to the compensation package than to simply accept what is offered. The first offer is usually the lowest offer and can be improved upon. This negotiation must be done with masterful skills and must be well founded with a supporting case for the increase.
We must also consider factors such as the job market, company guidelines, and on the job performance. However when well executed, it can really pay off. Remember to consider the importance of all factors of compensation when in salary negotiation. Some people truly value their spare time and quality of life, while others are willing to venture out and accept stock options instead of extra salary.
When it comes to negotiating salary, be courageous and consider requesting for more.
About the Author:
Trevor Davide Grant is a IT project manager in the information technology field and has extensive experience at salary negotiation. Trevor has worked for large telecom, power generation, software development consulting, and a prominent social networking website. He has learned how to negotiate a salary in the most effective way. Learn great tips on the topic of salary negotiating at www.HowToNegotiateASalary.com
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