Congratulations! You have mastered the job interviews, left all your competitors behind and enter the final phase of your job search phase: the salary negotiation.
What can you expect? A typical salary negotiation is unfortunately very often minimal to inexistent: you will be asked your expectations – and then, an offer is made. A real negotiation, however, does not always take place.
Do not underestimate this part as a wrong step could have an impact for the rest of your career: getting the next salary right will influence the next one and the one after and so on.
Whilst money is the most obvious factor in the salary negotiation, there are many other things you can negotiate. Here come 33 things you can negotiate when accepting an offer other than money:
- A “better” job title as of start date
- A better job title after the trial period or after 12 months
- Promotion after trial period
- Waiver of trial period
- A signing bonus/ arrival fee
- Company assets
- Executive education: define how many days per year and the budget
- Guaranteed bonus in year 1
- Waiver of the competition clause if you are in sales
- Car or car allowance
- Partial or full coverage of your car leasing
- Public transports
- Upgrade for flights or train travel
- Frequent flyer miles you can keep
- Size and location of office (yes, matters to some)
- Home-office. Believe it or not but I have recently heard that a company is going back to full presence now that “Covid is over”
- Flexibility in working hours
- Date of next salary negotiation
- Increase in salary after trial period
- Housing (total or partial)
- Relocation allowances
- Admissions to associations or business clubs
- School loan reimbursement
- Yearly medical checkup
- Discounts on company products and services
- Better insurances: health, dental, vision, disability, life…
- More time off: sick day handling, personal days, paid holidays, vacation (how many, when and how?)
- Time off for charity/ community work
- Sports and recreation: fitness club, golf or other
- Equipment: notebook, mobile phone
- Company cafeteria or an allowance
- Special commissions on deals you are bringing in
- And finally: “OK, what did I forget? What else can we negotiate? What would you negotiate if you were in my seat?”
Conclusion:
John F. Kennedy said “Let us never negotiate out of fear but let us never fear to negotiate.”
If you don’t ask, you won’t get. Negotiating your salary and your departure are the most important negotiations with your employer. Make sure to get the first one right to set the stage for the rest of your career with your new employer.
