So you’re going to march into your partner’s office to demand (OK politely request) more money.
When you embark on the road towards salary negotiation, you need to keep in mind that the partner or HR director is akin to a lunatic in a bank vault.
Except that he or she is guarding the payroll budget.
You should be implementing paraphrasing, mirroring, and conveniently placed pauses into your raise request speech. Hopkinson, in an article he wrote for the Wall Street Journal, gives these examples:
How do you think an HR rep at a BigLaw firm would react to this? Or a partner at a small firm with a set budget?
HR Rep: “We think you’re a great fit for the job, and we’d like to offer you a starting salary of $75,000.”
You: “I see. So you’re saying that the salary for this position would be $75,000.” Then be silent.
Seeing as how very few associates are in the position to negotiate salaries, here are some possibilities:
To be fair, the article does list some useful skills, including gathering information, and staying calm. But it seems like unless you are the crème de la crème and offering some considerable skills, you may not be operating from a position of power in negotiations. At least not in this current job market.
HR Rep: blank stare.
HR Rep: “Oh look, you understand basic English.”
HR Rep: “Is that too low for you? We’ve got another two hundred applicants.”
Related Resources:
- Crisis Intervention: Using Active Listening Skills in Negotiations (FBI)
- Spring Bonuses Waste of Money, Don’t Affect Loyalty, Survey Says (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
- Are the Partners at Your Firm Padding their Profits? (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help
Civil Rights
Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court
Criminal
Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records
Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules
