Salary negotiation is probably the most delicate aspect of any interview process. This is even trickier for freshers right out of college with zero industry exposure and not much idea about the prevailing salary trends. Add to this the fact that most companies keep a more or less fixed starting salary for students looking for their first jobs – their side of the argument being that with negligible experience, they have to invest in the training and moulding of the new joinee into the company’s culture.
However, don’t let your lack of corporate exposure be a deterrent in getting you the salary that is right for you.
Highlight your extras – Holding some additional expertise, experience or skill can be useful in negotiating compensation. The point here is that the recruiter is looking at you as someone with zero experience and as someone whom he/she has to train to make proficient. So if you can offer the interviewer some uniqueness in terms of additional course certifications, internships during the course of study, extra-curricular activity participations, etc, you increase the scope of negotiating your first salary.
Be reasonable – It is, after all, your first job. You cannot be aggressive about the amount that you think should be your compensation. Yes, there is a basic threshold that must hold true for the position that you have applied for, but commanding a sum that goes way beyond the general salary trend might only land you in a situation with shoes too big for your size.
Research - So research the market trends before moving into the salary negotiation round. You may even gauge an estimate by talking to professionals who have been in the field long enough to be able to suggest a right course of action in this regard. There are various online salary calculators available too that provide an estimate based on your qualifications and experience.
You are the learner – Understand that no matter how good your grades may have been and how you were the star performer amongst your graduating batch, the corporate world levels all theoretical knowledge at the point when it comes to applying it in the real workplace. The first job will involve a lot of on-the-job learning and that will also be part of your take home. Thus, when the time for negotiation arrives, be sure to have assessed your skills, the market trends and the margin that the prospective employer is willing to negotiate on. Under no circumstances appear aggressive in your negotiating strategy.
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