A salary negotiation window exists from the time you offer a job to a candidate until the acceptance of the job by your selected candidate. The results of this negotiation can leave a candidate feeling wanted or devalued. The results of this negotiation can leave the employer excited to welcome the candidate or feeling as if he lost. A positive employer and a positive employee are the result of a successful salary negotiation.
My last salary negotiation failed - and I couldn't figure out why until I received feedback from a friend of the candidate later. Hiring a mid to low level business development staff member, we offered the candidate $48,000 with bonus potential into the fifties. Both the hiring manager and I provided her with the same information about what we planned to pay our selected candidate. She indicated that our projected salary met her needs. But, when I offered her the position, she countered with a request for $10,000 more.
Since we were already at the top of our range, we declined to counter. Only later did I discover that a third person had told her fifties when she asked about the salary, meaning salary plus bonus. In her wishful thinking, she ignored the hiring manager and myself, and added $10,000 to the offer she expected. So, we all lost, but especially our candidate lost as we had offered her the job of her dreams at the company of her dreams.
The most important learning is, of course, that only one person should be designated to discuss and negotiate salary with a candidate. Others can contribute in the background, but negotiations should be conducted by one person, usually a human resources staff person.
Here are some additional tips about conducting a successful salary negotiation: Tips for a Successful Salary Negotiation.
