For many people, negotiating salary can be as difficult as writing resumés, getting interviews and impressing hiring managers. It can be difficult to assess what your worth is to a company in a dollar amount, and it’s even harder to talk about it with a potential employer.
AutoCareCareerHub is here to help. Here are our dos and don’ts for negotiating salaries in the auto care industry:
Do ask if the salary is negotiable when you receive an offer. If an employer says “no,” then you know that you’ll have to rely on negotiating other forms of compensation (i.e. benefits, vacation time, bonuses).
Don’t accept the initial offer. Most companies expect some level of negotiation and will initially offer you a deal with some wiggle room.
Do your homework on the auto care industry standards for different positions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics can help you determine what the median and average salaries are in your field for your geographic area. Only negotiate using reliable research.
Do consider the whole compensation package. Benefits add up and can be used as bargaining chips in the negotiation process.
Do negotiate in person. By meeting in person, you can communicate better and establish a level of respect that’s lost over the phone or in an e-mail.
Do continue to demonstrate your worth to the employer throughout the negotiation process. Talk about what you can offer the company and how you can improve the company’s bottom line.
Do explain the rationale behind the dollar amount you are requesting. This is when researching mean and median salaries will pay off – you must back up what you’re asking for with numbers.
Don’t talk about your personal expenses. No employer needs to know your mortgage payment, credit card debt, expensive children, etc. Do take into account that information when you are researching what the average job pays in the auto care industry.
Don’t ask for a number that is unreasonably high for the industry. This can scare an employer away.
Don’t let on to what you previously made. Be vague when asked direct questions about your previous salaries and feel free to dismiss the question. If you are coming from a much-lower paying job, point out that the auto care industry’s pay scale differs from the pay scale in your previous job.
Do be mindful of your emotions, and don’t let them get the best of you. Your worth to a company is going to be assessed and put into a dollar amount. Don’t let a bruised ego keep you from proving your worth.
