11. Never stop selling yourself throughout the negotiation process.

Keep reminding the employer of the impact you will make, the problems you will solve, the revenue you will generate. And continue expressing interest and enthusiasm for the job and the company.

12. If you have no intention of accepting the company’s offer, don’t waste your time or the company’s by entering into negotiation. Negotiation is a process designed to find common ground between two or more parties.

13. If you have multiple job offers, don’t put the companies into a bidding war for your services; it rarely works out.

14. Don’t enter negotiations with the wrong attitude.

Always have in the back of your mind that your goal with these negotiations is a win-win situation. You want to get a better deal, but you also need to let the employer feel as though they got a good deal as well.

15. Given a number of factors, such as the strength of the economy, the size and vitality of the company, and the supply of job candidates with similar qualifications, some employers simply will not negotiate.

16. Never make demands.

Instead, raise questions and make requests during negotiations. Keep the tone conversational, not confrontational.

17. Be prepared for any of a number of possible reactions to your counter proposal, from complete acceptance to agreeing to some concessions to refusal to negotiate.

18. Be willing to walk away from negotiations.

If you don’t have a strong position (a good current job or one or more current or potential job offers), it will be harder for you to negotiate. If you really need or want the job, be more careful in your negotiations.

19. Once the employer agrees to your compensation requests, the negotiations are over. You cannot ask for anything more — or risk appearing immature or greedy and having the employer’s offer withdrawn or rescinded.

20. Always be sure to get the final offer in writing.

Be extremely wary of companies that are not willing to do so. Note: one advantage of writing a counter proposal letter is that you list the terms of the offer in your letter.

Writing the Counter Proposal Letter

While there is not a specific formula to writing a successful counter proposal letter, there is a basic structure you can follow for maximum likelihood of success.

First Paragraph: Statement of Interest and Enthusiasm for Job/Company; Key Selling Factors

This paragraph is critical in setting up the tone and direction of the negotiations. Be direct and sincere in expressing your interest for the company, thanking the employer for the job offer. Be sure to follow-up with your key selling points — how you will make a direct and immediate (or longer-term) impact on the organization.

Second through Fifth Paragraphs: Offer and Counter Proposal

Restate the particular point from the original offer that you wish to negotiate, followed by your counter proposal — ideally supported through research, a desire to be fairly compensated, or reinforced by the value you will bring to the company.

Concluding Paragraph: Conciliatory Comments with Strong Moving-Forward Statement

Stress that your requests are modest and that your potential impact is great — and that you look forward to accepting the job offer and getting a jump-start on the position as soon as possible.

You can also include paragraphs for items of the original proposal that you completely agree on — doing so makes the letter seem more balanced and that you are not picking apart the entire offer.

You can also include paragraphs for any items in the offer that you need clarification- - or where you are seeking more information, typically for complex issues such as confidentiality and non-compete agreements, bonus plans.

Sample Job Offer Counter Proposal Letter
What does a salary negotiation counter proposal look like? See our sample counter proposal letter.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker’s Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

Copyright by Quintessential Careers. The original article can be found here. Reprinted with permission.