Cost of Living Salary Negotiation

There are a lot of misconceptions about salary negotiation and as a HR and Recruitment professional, I can tell you that it is ok to negotiate your salary.  To have a successful salary negotiation, you need to choose the right time and approach. I specialise in expatriate compensation and international recruitment so I am going to focus on salary negotiation when moving to a new city or country for a job.

One of the generally accepted and genuine reasons for requesting a higher salary from an employer is cost of living differences. Let’s face it, we all want to earn more and I believe that to everyone, an employer will never pay you what you think you are worth. However while you can ask for a higher salary because you simply feel you are worth more, you are more likely to get an increase if the reason is to cover the cost of living in your job destination city.

If you are moving to another city or country for a job, you want to ensure that you are not financially worse off in your new city. To achieve this, you need to know the cost of living in your new city compared to your current city and how much you need to earn for the cost of living. There are several unverified cost of living information on the internet, but if you are serious about earning the salary that increases your standard of living or at least maintains your current standard of living, you need to have accurate and credible cost of living information.

You can use the Personal Salary Expectation Report created when you use the Worldwide Cost of Living Salary Calculator at www.salaryexpectation.com to find out exactly how much you need to earn and negotiate a higher salary for the cost of living in your destination city. If you have been made an offer, use the report to review your offer and get a salary increase if required. If your company is moving you to another country, use your report to negotiate your relocation package. If you are considering living and working in another country, use your report for your job search.

It’s best not to negotiate salary until you have been made an offer. Using credible cost of living salary information like the Personal Salary Expectation Report for your salary negotiation will give you the best chance of getting an increase.

Salary Negotiation for a Job in another City or Country

If you are thinking of living and working in another city or country, learn how to negotiate the best salary for your standard of living using the tips below:

1. What do you have to offer? This is a very important point that a lot of people miss out on. From the very first time you are in contact with a potential employer, you need to continuously tell them what you will offer the company. They need to dream about how nice it would be to have you on board doing all the wonderful things you have said you can do and have done for other companies. If you do this, when it comes to salary negotiation, they will bend their backs if required to get you on board. Sell yourself.

2. Know the right time to discuss salary: Although you need to know your salary expectation before you go for an interview, you do not need to discuss salary immediately. You have your strongest negotiation power when a company wants you. If you discuss salary before they realise they want you, they might be put off by your so-called money motivation and never get to the realisation of how amazing you are for the role. This is not always the case but you do not want to take that chance. You need to discuss salary at the best possible time for YOU. Tell the employer what you can offer them first, and then tell them what they can offer you.

3. Let the employer know you have done your research: Visibility of a candidate’s preparation for an interview usually puts a smile on a recruiter’s face. Nothing says you have done your salary expectation research more than knowing the cost of living in your new location. Show your employer your Personal Salary Expectation Report which includes the prices of up to 22 items in your destination city, from Butter to Water bill to the average price of a 2 bedroom furnished apartment. Let them know you mean business.

4. Rationale behind your salary negotiation: If you ask an employer to pay you more money because you deserve it, which I’m sure you do but do not back that up with concrete evidence, you are not likely to get an increase. However, if you tell an employer to pay you more so that you can at least maintain the same standard of living as you do in your current location that is more than enough reason. Your report will speak for itself, you have a legitimate salary expectation reason and you have the information from a reliable source to back it up.

5. Credibility of information: Not only do you need to do your research, you need to provide credible information to back it up if you want to negotiate a higher salary. You are in luck; the data used in the Personal Salary Expectation Report is from The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living survey. Your potential or current employer can not deny the credibility of your report.

Create your Personal Salary Expectation Report now at www.salaryexpectation.com and earn the salary that improves your standard of living.