Ways to Set Realistic Expectations with your Recruiter

The worst time to have to negotiate a salary offer is after you've had all of your interviews. There are few worse feelings a recruiter gets than extending what is believed (by the recruiter at least!) to be a fair market offer and to be met with a stunned silence.

Especially now, during a slow market recovery, companies are doing their best to balance fair offers with expenses. I know that may not be a very palatable thing to hear, but that's reality. However there are ways to avoid these gotcha scenarios earlier in the hiring process. These approaches will probably work best if you are being represented by a recruiter, whether third party or internal, but the ideas will apply to most hiring situations.

Build Goodwill After the "Money" Interview

Usually sometime after the first or second interview for a job, the question of money will arise. This is an opportunity to set expectations so that both you and the recruiter are proceeding from the same set of assumptions. During this early stage, a good recruiter will broach the subject in a non-threatening way. In past placements, I have said things like The interviews seem to be going well and the question of money is inevitably going to come up. Let's discuss your compensation requirements. During our early conversations you stated that you were looking for a base salary in the low $100K range. Now, since neither one of us would enjoy nasty surprises at the end of the interview process, let's talk about a few scenarios. I know that money is never an easy subject, but it's my job to make sure we understand one another. That understanding sometimes takes the form of me asking if it hurts when I poke you in the wallet. Let's say that all the interviews went well and you think that this is the right place for you to build your career, but the offer comes back at $95K. Would that be a situation in which we could still talk? What about 98K and we could get you an offer for an extra week of vacation? Negotiation begins early this way and can be approached without the high emotions of it coming at the end of the placement.

Be Forthright About the Offer

It's not a perfect world and sometimes having this up front conversation is simply isn't possible. In those cases, there are many appropriate approaches to negotiation that others who are far better at it than me could comment upon, but the one inappropriate, unhelpful approach is to clam up. When you're working with a recruiter and that recruiter is authorized to extend a verbal offer of employment, when the pit of your stomach makes you feel like you just stepped onto the down elevator from the Sears (Willis?) Tower, when that free falling sensation subsides and is replaced with simmering anger and resentment that you have been so insultingly downgraded in pay, let me emphasize again that shutting up is not the answer. Take a deep breath. Try to separate your emotion from the conversation and express your concerns.

Trust me, if you're getting an offer, that means that the company and especially the recruiter and you all want the same happy ending. It is in your best interests to be forthright and negotiate, even if that means you need to ask to call back in an hour after you've walked out to your balcony and practiced a primal scream.

Ask Yourself If It's Always About the Money

Nobody wants to get an offer that they feel lowballs or undervalues their skills. But if you give yourself a little time to think about it, maybe the cash isn't the be-all and end-all of what you need. Be sure to examine the entire offer, including the benefits and paid time off. One of the points on which many organizations are willing to negotiate is paid time off. And it's during the offer stage that companies should hear about it. Other considerations may include a signing bonus, potential overtime pay, and incentives. A creative recruiter will help you to work out these details and get you to where you need to be.

Remember, though, at the end of any negotiation, there needs to be a compelling enough reason for you to take a new position. If you have doubts about some aspect of the job, whether it's people or requirements, any company worth its salt should be willing to talk to you about your concerns.