People become flexible under time pressure. When employers are under a lot of time pressure, you can often get a very attractive compensation package. Time spent with you will affect their flexibility on salary and other compensation factors since mentally, the employer will want to recoup the time spent with you.
- Make a checklist of time pressures and expand it with each new situation you encounter.
- Always leave the door open for the employer to reopen negotiations. Instead of pressuring them by saying, “This is my final offer,” leave the door open with statements like, “I hope you find the person you’re looking for, but if you don’t, call me. If I haven’t found what I’m looking for, we can always talk some more.”
- Be patient. The longer you can keep the employer involved in negotiations, the better chance you have of getting what you want. Take your time finding out about the company. Ask as many relevant questions as you can. If you can get them to give you a tour of their facilities, make it last as long as you can. Why do these things? For two reasons:
- The longer you spend with the employer, the more trust they will develop in you.
- The more time they spend with you, the more flexible they will become when the negotiations start.
- Be careful. Time can work against you in the negotiations as well. You may find yourself becoming more flexible for the same reasons employers do.
- Tie up all the details . Avoid leaving anything to “we can work that out later.”