I know you guys are getting lots of advice on this topic and I just want to make sure you’re being mindful of the sources and strategic about how you negotiate and what you say.
I have seen inexperienced negotiations go south quickly, and I want to make sure you are informed/educated about what to do.
The first step is to know your worth so that you will know if the offer you receive is fair or not. Review the BC alumni salary report (this is a big reason we do it!) as well as other industry salary resources. There is so much transparency with salaries these days so please take the time to do this research.
If you get a low offer or you get a fair offer but would still like to negotiate, here’s what to say:
1.) Thank them for the offer b/c they’re more likely to jump through hoops for a candidate that is sincerely interested in the position than one who is “lukewarm”. Say something like… “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone. I’m excited about the work you are doing, and I feel confident in my abilities to contribute to the team.”
2.) Ask if there’s flexibility with the salary – “Is there flexibility with the salary b/c I was hoping to start at X amount for the following reasons.” The reasons are paramount! You cannot just ask for a higher number without rationale. Here are some things you might say depending on the situation and your specific background….
A) If the offer is lower than BC alumni starting salaries, you can say “My school does research on the average starting salaries of our grads and a Junior AD is X. I was hoping to start there.” You can also link to the report. That’s exactly why we do the report.
B) If you have substantial prior work experience that is directly related to what you want to do. (i.e. Let’s say you’re being offered a Jr. Strategist position, you could say “I worked for 3 years at a consumer research company in an associate consultant capacity before attending the Brandcenter.”) You legitimately have more consumer research experience than a “normal” junior and that’s worth something. FYI- the prior experience needs to be related to the job you are getting somehow.
C) if you have expertise in something like a special topic or software program or technology or some type of skill set that must juniors don’t have, that’s also good rationale for asking for more money.
The rationale is important because without it, you look clueless and as if you’ve pulled the number out of the air. The employer will likely be thinking “Why is this person worth 5k or 10k more right out of school??” so give them that rationale. Put together a persuasive POV. You’ve spent 2 years learning how to do this for brands. Now it’s time to do it for yourself.
What is NOT good rationale are personal things like “I have a lot of student loans.” or “Rent is really expensive.”…the rationale should be related to why you (and your work) are worth more, not your personal, financial situation.
Another thing to remember is that you will likely only be able to go up 10-15%. Meaning if the offer is 60k and you ask for 80k, you will likely not get there, and if you are so far apart, you may risk being excluded from consideration.
Remember that salaries are not the only things to negotiate. There are other things like relocation, vacation, title, first review date, etc.
I am always here to talk through situations like this…what to say, how to word things, etc. I want you all to get every penny you should but there’s a right and wrong way to do it
On a separate but related note, when your annual review is coming up and you want to ask for a raise, here’s what to do…(I counsel our alums on this all the time so file this away for later!)
1.) Know your worth (use Brandcenter and industry sources – links above) – reference those sources, show you’ve done your research.
2.) Make a list of all your successes, all you’ve contributed, work you’ve produced, pitches you’ve helped win, examples when you’ve gone above and beyond..pull quotes from emails sent to you by leadership at your agency or company re the valuable work you’ve done. That list is very powerful. Remember that your boss may be so focused on their career that they may not have noticed all the things you’ve brought to the table over the past year. This thoughtful, professional approach has a great track record of working so again, file this away for later!