How I Negotiated an Additional $15,000 at My New Job

How I Negotiated an Additional $15,000 at My New JobHow I Negotiated an Additional $15,000 at My New JobAnna Marie Clifton shares her partieal negotiation story, with concrete advice for negotiating a higher offer.Anna Marie Clifton, now a Product Manager at Microsoft Yammer, shared her terrific account of negotiating $15,000 more on compensation on her way into her new job. Kudos to her for sharing, and especially kudos to her new employer for being cool with her sharing. If youd like to work at a company as gracious as Yammer, you can find all of their jobs that are listed on Ladders here.Ill turn it over to Anna MarieThe first time I asked someone on a date, I had a mini panic attack.To this day I honestly dont know if he said yes, I couldnt hear him on the other end of the phone. As soon as I uttered those words Wanna go out? the adrenaline kicked in and all I could hear was the blood rushing through my ears and the voice inside my own head screaming Get off the phone, get off th e phone, get off the phone. RUNThat feeling took me by complete surprise- I was utterly terrified. As soon as my hands stopped shaking and I could think clearly again, I determined I would never feel that way again.How? Practice.Starting the very next day I began my new routine I would daily go to some kind of social event, select the most interesting men there, ask for their numbers and make phone calls the following day asking each of them on a date.For a couple months, I had quite the dating funnel Asked for 40 numbers/week Got 10/week Turned into 6 dates/week.I was a busy bee, but I tell you what, Ive never since been nervous about asking someone on a date.The one weird trick to getting over something that scares you is just doing it.That lesson has stuck with me through the years and when I felt myself getting nervous about salary negotiations in my recent interview cycle, I committed to getting past the discomfort and negotiating to the utmost.By golly, I was going to get a li ttle better and more comfortable at this if it killed meMonday, 3 days after my final onsite at Yammer, my recruiter emailed asking for a time to talk about an offer that afternoon.Elation. I was so excited to join the kollektivNerves. I had two hours to prep for that call.Research. I double checked my research on compensation for the role.Advice. I reached out to 4 trusted friends to walk through what I was planning to say.Practice. I rehearsed versions of responses for every reasonable scenario.Tick, tick, tock. The clock struck 3 and I struck a power pose. He called and the dance started.The team really liked you. (I really liked them.) You really impressed them. (They really impressed me.) Theyre super excited to extend an offer. (Thats wonderful news)Then he popped the question In order for us to put together a competitive offer, can you share what youre looking to make?I responded with a measured, honest, and extremely well-rehearsed evasionSalary is not the number one motivat ing factor for me in this decision. Im really excited about the challenges and opportunities at Yammer, and Im sure the team will put together a package that were all happy with.I was very intentional about not naming a price. Theres a lot of negotiating advice about being the Second Speaker. The first person to name terms will anchor the conversation at that point. If were negotiating over a box of Thin Mints and you say we should split them evenly, youve established a low bar from which I can negotiate up.By not naming a price or a range, I was forcing my recruiter to set the low bar and giving myself limitless room to pull that up. My recruiter of course was interested in getting me to speak first and put an upper limit on the conversation.He didnt directly ask again, but for the next 5 minutes-that-felt-more-like-30 he tried to get me to name something.Disarming Microsoft doesnt low ball. I hope youre not concerned about that.Helpful Some employees have unvested stock from curre nt roles that we can take into account and make whole.Compatriot You know, theres always some levers we can move, but its easiest if we can get some more information on where you stand.And othersAt every turn, I was calm and warm, giving subtle assurances that I didnt see us as competitors, but staying firm in my decision to not name numbers.The tension was sky high and I was so uncomfortable. I vented excess energy throughout the conversation by continually walking up and down a flight of stairs, only pausing when I needed to control my breathing. The whole conversation was excruciating.But I did it.The conversation ended well and without either of us naming a single number. He went to discuss potential packages with the team and we made plans to talk the next day more concretely.Tuesday. My recruiter called from his cell phone in the late afternoon. They had a package approved, but he was out of the office for the rest of the day and wouldnt be able to get the information to me un til the next day.That was fine with me. I had managed to line up a number of final interviews within the saatkorn time frame- one of the few pleasures afforded to unemployed job seekers- and was looking to make decisions by the end of the week. I shared this information and we agreed to talk the following morning.That night I had drinks with my sister and we discussed how I would respond to specific compensation packages.If it was on the lower end, I would ask for a big increase, but above a certain number on base, I would probably ask for a slight bump and accept whatever the counter was.But wasnt the whole point of Mondays dance so that I could ask for more if they offered toward the upper bound of my expectations? My sister reminded me of my commitment to this process and encouraged me to hold strong.If they offer that high end, ask for $15,000 more. Do it for the practice of doing it. Do it for the women who dont ask. Do it for yourself. And if you dont feel comfortable making t hat much more, donate it with Microsofts fantastic donation matchingWednesday. He called right on schedule and after a short greeting we got into it pretty quickly. He started listing out all the details of the package and I quietly listened as every second passed by like molasses. Its remarkable how long the pauses feel when everything in you is straining to maintain composure.After naming the base salary, he paused, expectant.It was on the upper bound of my expectations.Many thoughts were thrashing in my head, but I let the silence hang as long as I could and then gently voiced a noncommittal hmmm. He moved on to other factors and kept quiet till the end.When he had finished, I asked a couple of clarifying questions and then respondedAgain, Im really excited about the team, and parts A, B, and C seem on par with what Id look for here, but I was looking for $15,000 more in base.Woosh. There was the blood rushing in my ears, just like that moment years ago. But I knew to expect it a nd managed to focus past it. I waited and listened as my heart pounded on.My recruiter didnt miss a beat. He said he could check on it with the team. However, he needed to know that the extra $15K would make me sign on the spot, that I would stop my conversations with the other companies and commit to Yammer. I said yes, I had no reservations and would love to accept the offer if he could match that request.Ill call you back soon. He hung up and went to work on my behalf.A couple hours later he called back with a revised package that effectively met my requests. Sure, some pieces moved around a bit, aligning more with long-term incentives, but that was just fine with me.HuzzahI successfully practiced a challenging and scary thing I ended in a good place, both in terms of employer relationships and compensation package and I learned a number of things I can share with other women (and men) anxiously walking into salary negotiations.Key TakeawaysSilence is your friend.The pressure to speak is overwhelming. But the ability to say nothing is more powerful than most of the words you could possibly say.Find honest ways to defer commitment.Try to put the pressure back on your employer to find the best package for you, this will help keep you from leaving money on the table. But remember, you have to speak from a genuine place. It will keep you grounded in the gezeit of this conversation.Dont be afraid to ask for more.If they care enough to make you an offer in the first place, they arent going to rescind it just because you asked for more. If theres budget there, theyll try to offer that. If there isnt, they may get creative with other incentives (mentoring, access to c-suite, educational bonus). At worst, they will just say theyve offered you the best they can.Know your BATNA and use your leverage.The BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) is a beautiful concept developed by Roger Fisher and William Ury in their 1981 classic Getting to Yes.Simply put, th e better your best alternative is, the more leverage you have in a conversation. And dont be afraid to bring it up By being in talks with other companies, I was positioned to walk away if need be. With that leverage, I was able to trade those conversations for the financial edge I wanted. Find your BATNA and share it openly when the time is right. Oh, and go read that bookThank you so much Anna Marie for sharingSpeaking for all of us, we owe a big debt of gratitude to Anna Marie for sharing such an open, helpful, authentic, honest piece of writing about something so very sensitive and dear to her heart.Its really inspiring this Memorial Day to read about somebody getting herself so beautifully ahead in this world.I hope youll all have a wonderful week in the search, ReadersIm rooting for you