How to Negotiate a Higher Salary: 10 Tips to Get the Pay You Deserve

If you’re reading this article, we’ll guess you have a job and not just because you’re researching how to get one. Negotiating a higher salary might seem like an unachievable feat, but it’s something that can be done with the right approach. Getting a raise from your current employer is much harder than getting one from your next one.

That’s why so many people little blue book called How To Get A Raise At Work. So here are some tips on how to negotiate a higher salary so you can get paid what you deserve.

Know your worth

The first step to negotiating a higher salary is knowing your worth. That might sound a little over-confident, but it’s the truth. If you don’t know what other people with your skill set are making, you’re already at a disadvantage when it comes to negotiating.

Sure, you might be able to find average salaries for your skill set, but those salaries aren’t what everyone at your level gets. Those are just the averages. So how do you know your worth? Start with researching the market.

Research the market

This is really important. You need to find out exactly how much other people with your skill set are making. You don’t want to base your salary off what someone who has less experience than you gets paid. You want to base it off what someone who has your experience and skill set gets paid.

Start with sites like Glassdoor and Salary.com to find average salaries in your city. Then use tools like Comparably, PickFu, and Blind to find what your specific industry and company are paying.

If you’re looking for a job at a company, don’t be afraid to talk to people in your network. People are usually happy to share that information so you can get a better idea of what the company is paying for the skills you have.

Set goals and deadlines

The second step to negotiating a higher salary is to set goals and deadlines. If you want to negotiate a higher salary, you need to have a reason why. If you don’t have a reason, your boss is going to use that against you. They’ll say things like, “You’ve been happy with this salary for the past three years.

Why would you suddenly want more now?” You have to have a goal you can point to. For example, if you have a kid on the way, you might want to negotiate a salary that will let you take off three months of leave to be with them because your employer provides full pay for that.

If it’s a career goal you’re working towards, you might want to negotiate a higher salary so you can get the education you need to reach that goal. And if it’s not a career goal, you can always negotiate a one-time deal for the money you need to make lifelong goals happen.

You can also set deadlines for yourself. If you want to negotiate a higher salary, you’ll need to give yourself time to work up the courage. That doesn’t happen overnight, so be patient with yourself.

Communicate with transparency

The third step to negotiating a higher salary is to communicate with transparency. This means to be open and honest about everything you’re feeling and thinking throughout the process. Be transparent with your boss about your current salary, the salary you think you deserve, and why you deserve it.

Be transparent with your boss about why you’re looking for a new job. Be transparent with your boss about what you want out of your career. Transparency is probably the most important thing in this entire list.

It’s what separates people who get what they want in life from people who don’t. People who are transparent are confident, they’re respectful, and they know what they’re doing. People who aren’t transparent are scared, disrespectful, and don’t know what they’re doing. You want to be the first kind of person.

Don’t be afraid to walk away

The fourth step to negotiating a higher salary is to not be afraid to walk away. The truth is that most people are replaceable. If you’re reading this article, we’ll guess you’re not super replaceable. But most people are. Most jobs can be done by someone else. Most bosses know this.

They know that there are tons of people who are dying for jobs. They also know that there are tons of people who are dying for higher salaries. If you don’t have the confidence to walk away from a job, you’ll never get the salary you actually deserve.

If your boss won’t budge on salary, walk away. If they won’t let you have a few months off to be with your kid, walk away. If they won’t let you work towards your career goals, walk away. Don’t be afraid to walk away from a job or a boss who won’t pay what you deserve.

Be prepared to re-negotiate periodically

The fifth step to negotiating a higher salary is to be prepared to re-negotiate periodically. You might be able to get a one-time deal with your boss for a higher salary, but you can’t expect it to be permanent.

If your job is anything like most jobs, there will be performance reviews every six to 12 months. During those reviews, you can use the same tactics you used to negotiate a higher salary for the first time.

You can point to your goals, be transparent about your feelings, and let your boss know that you want to be compensated for what you bring to the table. If your boss loves you and thinks you deserve a higher salary, they’ll give it to you. If they don’t, you can use those reviews as opportunities to re-negotiate.

Negotiating a higher salary isn’t easy, but it’s something that can be done. You have to know your worth, set goals and deadlines, communicate with transparency, and be prepared to walk away. If you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to getting the pay you deserve.