Defending Your Cash: Negotiating the Best Salary
This content is provided courtesy of USAA.
If a new job is on the horizon, do you now how to negotiate your best salary?
Whether you are a military spouse seeking a civilian job, or you might one day leave military service, it pays to know how to negotiate your best salary in the civilian work world.
June Walbert, a financial professional with USAA, offers these tips.
If asked for your salary requirements, don't tell. Write "open" in the application blank, or tell the interviewer you want to know more about job requirements, benefits, advancement opportunities and the work environment before you name a required salary.
If prompted for how much you made in your last job, don't answer that either. Say you're willing to discuss past income during your interview. If pressed, make sure you offer the 'big picture' for your last salary. Include the monetary value of all your benefits.
Before discussing salary, make the connections for how you will help the company improve its bottom line. Develop three to five clear points to share in the interview. Then, tell the interviewer you'll consider any serious offer they'd like to make. It's better not to name your salary first. When an offer comes, ask if it's flexible. You may not see big increase, but you might gain more paid vacation, a signing bonus or other perks.
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