What to do with that inside info from a friend

Dear J.T. & Dale: I recently interviewed with a company that a buddy of mine works for and received a job offer. The base salary is a good bit lower than I was expecting and a good bit lower than my friend’s base salary when he was hired on for the same position a couple of years ago. Further, I have more experience than he did when he was hired on. How do

I go about asking for a higher base salary? — Mitch

J.T.: The fact that you know what your friend got as a starting salary is a blessing and a curse. It’s good to know what to expect, but since they came in lower, now you are taking it personally. Please don’t! They are a business and it’s natural for them to try to get you for the best price possible. Lowballing is normal.

DALE: Yes, hardball negotiation is very much in vogue. And when working the hardball style, the idea is to establish a low “anchor” from which to (a) maybe get a bargain, but mostly (b) allow room for concessions that allow you to feel like you worked them over even as they’ve worked you over. (Here’s an example of how they might hope it will work: Say you expected $60K, but they offered just $45K. You counter, and after some back and forth, you eventually get them to $55K. You feel victorious even though they got you below market.) However, having inside information will allow you to confidently set your own, higher “anchor.” Information is the best negotiator.

J.T.: You must go into the conversation prepared to describe how you will save or make them enough money to cover the additional salary you want. Once you map that out, you say, “I’m really grateful for the opportunity, which is why this is hard for me ...” and then explain why you need a higher salary. At the end say: “For these reasons, I hope you’ll consider increasing the salary for me. I promise if you do, I’ll exceed your expectations and make sure you are happy with your decision.” That way, you aren’t saying “no” to the job, but giving them incentive to meet your demands. If they say “no,” then it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it.

Dear J.T. & Dale: I went on an interview for a job. I never heard back from them. An old friend works there, so I had him ask HR why I was rejected. He told me that I never sent a thank-you note after the interview, which gave them the impression I didn’t really want the job. What?! Is that normal? I said thank you when I left. Why do I need to send a note too? — Dustin

DALE: I’m with you, Dustin; I’m surprised too. Your question caused me to ask myself if there was a situation in which I would allow a thank-you note or lack thereof to be the deciding factor in hiring. After all, in a Time of No Time, I would be glancing at email thank-you’s and I’m not sure if I’d even remember who sent one and who didn’t. But here’s one situation where it might matter: If I had two candidates and couldn’t decide which one to hire, and one seemed much more enthused about the job and reinforced that in a note, then I could see it playing a role.

J.T.: Let’s take that and widen the focus. You are a business-of-one selling your services to an employer. You want them to know you want the job, which means letting them know via a thank-you note. Today, an email is acceptable. But, you can also go the extra mile with a handwritten note. It’s your call. Some job seekers worry they’ll look like they are trying too hard, but this isn’t dating! You want a job worth thousands of dollars and it’s on you to prove you’re worth it. By sending the note, you help them feel confident you’ll want to exceed their expectations.