Career salary negotiation: how to behave properly

Salary is often a matter of negotiation. However, that does not mean that you can rephrase a sum that you threw first into the ring again as you wish. The first idea you mention sets the starting point for everything that follows. You should therefore avoid these 4 mistakes.

# 1 Enter the conversation without research

A salary negotiation is not a game of chance. There are professional and industry-standard salaries that may vary from region to region. In principle, however, you should always be in a position to make yourself sufficiently smart before the conversation about the maximum amount you can expect – and on the other hand what amount you should not fall below. There are dozens of paycheck sites on the Internet.

# 2 Get started

As a rule, you have already formulated a house number in your written application. In a personal conversation you should nevertheless try to elicit the first serve from your counterpart. This minimizes the risk of moving too far up or down despite good preparation. On the other hand, the following also applies: If money was neither an issue during the telephone preselection interview nor until the end of the first personal appointment, you should make the first move. So you can find out whether the salary is even an option for you. If not, you don’t need to put more energy and excitement into round three and four.

# 3 Formulate too precise information

Don’t say you envision an annual gross income of 52,000 euros. Instead, think about a range in which you are willing to negotiate before the interview. And even if you don’t agree on your maximum amount: With the upper end, you signal your counterpart directly where you actually see yourself and where you want to go. And already indicate that you will likely renegotiate after the probationary period or the first year. If there is an employment contract, you should generally always try to make an appointment when you finalize your salary and talk about money again – for example after the first month of the trial has been successful.

# 4 Answer all questions openly

If your future employer asks you what you would have earned in your old company, you should not answer openly and honestly. After all, changing jobs is often driven to improve in a new company and get more money. If you state your actual current salary, you run the risk of being immediately placed back on the same level.

These companies pay the highest salaries

In the competition for skilled workers, salaries are a decisive factor. According to an analysis by the job platform Glassdoor, these companies offer the highest wages in Germany