A reader's comment to my last blog raised the important issue of salary negotiation. In this case, the reader wanted to know what to do about a significant discrepancy between a salary offer and what she wanted. My response addressed some of the most immediate issues, namely criteria for negotiating a higher salary if she really wanted the job.

On a broader scale in decision-making about a job offer, the issue of salary needs to be considered among many factors that are less tangible, but not necessarily less important.

Compensation is easy to evaluate since it's specific and we know how it will impact our lives--whether it's enough to achieve our financial needs and goals or not. Some people find it difficult to step back from the bottom line offered and determine how the job itself will affect the quality of their lives. This emphasis on the financial benefits is understandable given the values of our culture that makes a connection between how much one earns and their innate worth.

Recently, I was in conversation with a colleague who had extended a job offer to a candidate after a lengthy interviewing process. The salary he offered was less than the candidate was currently earning, but high in the advertised salary range for the new position. The candidate was disappointed in the offer and stated she had anticipated that she'd earn more than she was currently earning. Note: This is not an adequate reason to demand a higher salary. Clearly stating your value-added and how your skills, background and experience particularly lend themselves to the position will take you much farther in the negotiation process for more compensation.

Her response was a surprise to my colleague since she stated during the interviews that she wanted to change jobs for reasons other than to increase her salary. Eliminating a commute and working in the community in which she resided, plus having more of a direct impact on the people served by her organization were key reasons she wanted to change jobs and ones that were consistent with the new position. But when the offer came in, she hedged on her priorities and ultimately turned down the offer because of the salary.

However, a new client with whom I recently spoke is clearly attempting to walk his talk. While he currently makes a six-figure income, he is keenly aware that the demands of his job have taken a toll on his health and eliminated any semblance of work/life balance. Not only is he adjusting his lifestyle so he will be in a position to increase his options and consider a lower salary, but he is taking the time to explore organizations that support the type of balanced lifestyle he desires. He has determined that finding a job that allows him time to play his favorite sport, explore a new relationship and have a dog, far outweigh the compensation package.

Sometimes it is what is lacking in one's current job that helps a person clarify what they need in the next one. The challenge is often to remain vigilant to what is truly important in the face of the ever-present lure of more money.

E-mail this entry to a friend