Tips for Every Stage of Your Career

Negotiating skills come in handy as you move from one stage of your career to the next. How you make deals with your employers doesn't change through the years, but what you bargain for does. Take a brief look at how to get what you want from an entry-level position up until your final job on the cusp of retirement.

Your First Job

When you land your first job, negotiating skills help get you more money from the very start. This is important at the beginning of your career because that sets the base amount for your next position two to three years after your entry-level job. At this stage of your career, money is an important motivator because you have bills to pay, college loans coming due and responsibilities to address.

Research the average salary for your position, and work from there. Do you have any added value that might be worth a few hundred more dollars per year? Do you have any skills that set you apart from other people starting out in your field?

Although money is important, one thing to remember during this time in your life is that you need to build up your work experience. Ask HR or the hiring manager if there are any extra responsibilities you can take on that aren't found in the job description. Your negotiating skills might put you on a track to an early promotion if you can handle the added responsibilities. Plus, asking about more work shows you're a self-starter and forward-thinker.

Work-Life Balance

Once you obtain more experience on the job, you have a way to negotiate for things other than salary. You already know how to get the salary you need because it's commensurate with your experience. At the middle stage of your career, negotiating skills can lead to a more flexible schedule because you've built up enough trust that you can get the job done no matter where you work.

Consider asking your employer for telecommuting options, flexible scheduling, more paternity leave and better benefits that let you spend more time with your family at home. These aspects of your career weren't a priority when you first started because you didn't have a family. In the middle of your career, you might find attending your children's sporting events or school plays are more important than working overtime.

Highest Levels

As you approach senior-level positions, negotiating skills can land you a job that puts you in front of the board of directors. Talk to your potential supervisor about working regularly with c-suite employees and board members, even if that's not in the job description.

Another thing to consider at this point in your career is having the responsibility to hire and fire people. When you hand-pick teams of employees, you have the direct authority to affect the outcome of a company and its direction. If you can prove that your personnel decisions create prosperity for your firm, you just might land an executive position as your final job before retirement.

Negotiating skills take time to master, so learn what those skills can do for you as you grow through your professional life. What you negotiate for from the beginning can impact how you advance later.

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