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My 2c: never name the price first. If they undercut you, act extremely shocked. always ask for higher than you're willing to settle for. Ask for things in the

My 2c: never name the price first. If they undercut you, act extremely shocked. always ask for higher than you're willing to settle for. Ask for things in the margins at the last minute. Another vacation day. An upgrade on some ergonomic equipment. Etc.

excitednumber 5y ago
Also - work for an employer who values you and who can justify your number. Be sure to know if you're learning or earning. Eg is the employer paying you to learn and implement a new tech or are you the expert? Getting paid to learn can happen and may be worth the wage sacrifice. If you're just executing and you're the expert, imo, don't settle
- lucb1e 5y ago
  > Be sure to know if you're learning or earning I used to agree but in my experience, though mainly with internships, the places where I was learning were also the places I was earning. Not that it invalidates the sentiment, but accepting a crappy salary with hopes of learning something new... be skeptical and make sure that it will actually be like that.
- rjzzleep 5y ago
  I'd actually disagree here. If he has a job lined up then yeah, your advice is solid. But if he doesn't it's better to accept and then immediately start looking for someone that values you.
lotsofpulp 5y ago
Also, get multiple offers so you do not have to worry about them buying your bluff, and continue shopping for more buyers for whatever you are selling for the rest of your life.
nprateem 5y ago
Absolutely the worst advice. Whoever names the price first psychologically anchors the discussion around that price. Name a high price first and they'll have to justify their lower price so they're more likely to go to the top of their range (you know employers have a pay range right?). Let them name a much lower price first and you'll have to work hard to justify a much higher rate.
- notahacker 5y ago
  Name a high price first and they'll either have to justify their lower price or walk away altogether . Or if you don't have enough knowledge of what you're worth to them, maybe you miss out on an even higher initial offer they were willing to make. Whether it's best to anchor really depends on whether you can accurately estimate the top end of what they'll actually be willing to offer, or know they aggressively lowball everyone.
  - nprateem 5y ago
    You really want them to refuse your initial price and haggle. Then you know you're getting a good deal and couldn't have got any more. A little research and justification goes a long way.
    - sgtnoodle 5y ago
      I dunno, I've seen folk negotiate up to salaries that they probably would have never gotten an initial offer had they started with that amount.
- sgtnoodle 5y ago
  I've had good success both ways. If you have less leverage, I'd say avoid naming a price first. If you clearly have the upper hand, then it doesn't really matter. To get the best deal possible, you have to be willing to walk away. Higher risk, higher reward. It's also really important to be polite, friendly and honest (a little bit of bluffing is ok though) the whole process. You really do need to do the research beforehand to know what's reasonable to ask for. The other side did.

excitednumber 5y ago

Also - work for an employer who values you and who can justify your number. Be sure to know if you're learning or earning. Eg is the employer paying you to learn and implement a new tech or are you the expert? Getting paid to learn can happen and may be worth the wage sacrifice. If you're just executing and you're the expert, imo, don't settle

lucb1e 5y ago
> Be sure to know if you're learning or earning I used to agree but in my experience, though mainly with internships, the places where I was learning were also the places I was earning. Not that it invalidates the sentiment, but accepting a crappy salary with hopes of learning something new... be skeptical and make sure that it will actually be like that.
rjzzleep 5y ago
I'd actually disagree here. If he has a job lined up then yeah, your advice is solid. But if he doesn't it's better to accept and then immediately start looking for someone that values you.

lotsofpulp 5y ago

Also, get multiple offers so you do not have to worry about them buying your bluff, and continue shopping for more buyers for whatever you are selling for the rest of your life.

nprateem 5y ago

Absolutely the worst advice. Whoever names the price first psychologically anchors the discussion around that price. Name a high price first and they'll have to justify their lower price so they're more likely to go to the top of their range (you know employers have a pay range right?). Let them name a much lower price first and you'll have to work hard to justify a much higher rate.

notahacker 5y ago
Name a high price first and they'll either have to justify their lower price or walk away altogether . Or if you don't have enough knowledge of what you're worth to them, maybe you miss out on an even higher initial offer they were willing to make. Whether it's best to anchor really depends on whether you can accurately estimate the top end of what they'll actually be willing to offer, or know they aggressively lowball everyone.
- nprateem 5y ago
  You really want them to refuse your initial price and haggle. Then you know you're getting a good deal and couldn't have got any more. A little research and justification goes a long way.
  - sgtnoodle 5y ago
    I dunno, I've seen folk negotiate up to salaries that they probably would have never gotten an initial offer had they started with that amount.
sgtnoodle 5y ago
I've had good success both ways. If you have less leverage, I'd say avoid naming a price first. If you clearly have the upper hand, then it doesn't really matter. To get the best deal possible, you have to be willing to walk away. Higher risk, higher reward. It's also really important to be polite, friendly and honest (a little bit of bluffing is ok though) the whole process. You really do need to do the research beforehand to know what's reasonable to ask for. The other side did.