NEW YORK, N.Y. (CitizenWire) — Less than 3% of executive job seekers are prepared for negotiating, maintains Robert J. Gerberg Jr., CEO of SET, a personal marketing firm working with executives, professionals and managers seeking $100,000 or more. “They may be good at negotiating for their companies, but when it comes to negotiating for themselves, they often leave a lot of money on the table,” he said.
“At SET we make sure our clients understand the simple 7-step process we developed based on tens of thousands of job searches. Anyone can apply them, regardless of their personality,” Gerberg continued. The 7 steps are:
1 – Never commit when you get an offer. Praise the firm and say you need some time to consider it. Ask for several days to respond.
2 – Be sincere and reasonable — never cold or calculating. Remember, you’re setting the tone for a long term relationship.
3 – Always avoid premature discussions of your income requirements. They can be a deal breaker. You want to have the employer reach a point of maximum enthusiasm about you. Then they’ll likely be willing to pay more.
4 – Learn how to use vulnerability. Tell the employer that accepting the job at the level it was offered would cause you and your family difficulties. It plays to their desire to make you happy.
5 – Always try to expand the job responsibilities. If you reshape the job to a larger one, the range of income will be higher. For example, you should talk about specific areas where you could make contributions if the scope were a bit larger. If the interviewer agrees, have them added to the job description.
6 – Introduce other things on which to base the offer. It could be the importance of the job, what you believe the market is for your talents, other offers you are considering, what you’d make with your next raise where you are or something else.
7 – Use your enthusiasm throughout. If you load maximum enthusiasm into your statements, it will be difficult for an employer to conclude you should not be with them.
SET has created a free 25-minute video that gives people a tour of today’s job market and provides tips on how to compete more effectively. It covers how the job market really works, new resume styles that are producing outstanding results, where the public and private openings can be quickly found today and quick ways for accessing the leads and contacts you need over the Internet.
To view this tour of the job market, go to www.seniorexecutivecareerpartners.com/markettour .
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