5 Steps to Successful Employment Offer Negotiations

Many job candidates in the construction industry fail to negotiate when they receive an employment offer. Failure to engage in employment offer negotiations typically stems from an applicant’s lack of negotiation skills, fear of rejection, or worry that attempts to negotiate will anger a hiring manager. Construction and engineering professionals should arrive at the negotiating table armed with current salary data and a summary of their special skills. Below are five tips designed to help professionals in the construction and engineering industries successfully engage in employment offer negotiations.

1) Do your research. Arrive at the negotiating table armed with the latest statistics and salary trends in the construction or engineering industries. Make sure that the data you reference possesses the following attributes:

Citing data from the past twelve months will help your case.
Statistics and salary data that you cite should correspond to the position you seek and your qualifications.
Cite data from credible sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

2) Have your brag book on hand. Do not be afraid to remind employers of your accomplishments, awards, and notable projects you managed. You should also reference any contributions you have made to your local community. Summarize your professional achievements and activities in an organized format that will delight employers and enhance your odds of securing your dream offer.

3) Highlight your special skills and certifications. When you negotiate for additional compensation or job-related perks, you need to be ready to justify your value as an employee. Examples of relevant certifications or special skills that would help your negotiation efforts include the following:

Certified Construction Manager (CCM)
Certified Professional Construction Certification (CPCC)
Construction Engineering Certification

Be prepared to compromise. Ideally, you will succeed with your negotiations. However, there is a chance that an employer will reject your request or present a counteroffer. Remember to respond gracefully regardless of the news that you receive.

5) Follow up. It is unlikely that you will receive a confirmed offer immediately after you finish negotiating with a potential employer. In most cases, hiring managers will require time to finalize a decision and prepare an updated offer. In the interim, follow up with the employer to express your appreciation for considering your request.

Do not enter approach employment offer negotiations without a strategic plan. By following the tips above, you can increase your odds of success at the negotiating table and receiving the employment offer that you deserve.

Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing www.webuildstaffing.com . To learn more about Michael or to follow his blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com

Simple Tips For Negotiating Your Salary..

Is the job perfect for you but paying less than expected? Negotiating your job offer’s salary is a delicate topic of discussion. Figuring out what to do after the offer has been made is challenging but there guides to finding the right path.

Do your research. For a new position, doing research about the job often helps determine a starting point. Establish what is an average salary for the position, especially if you have not had a similar experience. Take some time to think about the position and ask friends or family employed in similar jobs. Prepare yourself.

Don’t shy away from negotiating. Women statistically have more difficulty navigating this conversation. Whether the reason is that they lack experience or do not want to seem too pushy, women often end up settling rather than having the discussion to reach an agreement. It is generally easier to see someone else having this conversation — so put yourself in their shoes and think about whether you would advise a friend to take the offer. Stay positive and confident.

You don’t have to already have the job to start negotiating. That is a misconception. According to Human Resource director Lisa Morris, the verbal offer is the best time to have that conversation. Your potential employers will want to know if you are unhappy with the compensation and, if they are serious about the offer, will try to adjust until you both agree. If the subject has already been discussed but you still aren’t confident, look for alternatives such as a scheduled pay raise, defined benefits, or leave time. No job offer will be perfect.

Work with the facts and show your worth. When conferring about salary, don’t focus on the numbers but have a specific value in mind. Presenting facts encourages the employer to counter their original offer with a higher value. With the right conversation, you may reach a figure close to the one you had planned. Define your personal worth. If the job offer has been extended, skills you possess are in demand. Be concise and polite to show that you will make a great member of their team. Make sure to present yourself in a way that does not make you appear arrogant.

Don’t accept their offer right off the bat. If you do, you might take away the opportunity for negotiating. The phrase “selling yourself short” applies. Accepting the first number thrown your direction may decrease your value. Use phrases like, “I really appreciate the offer at $42,000, but I was expecting $45,000 based on my previous experience.” This will start the conversation on a positive note but let the employer know where you stand.

Be prepared for rejection. While you are offered the position, chances are it is a “take it or leave it” situation. From the employer’s point of view, there are many factors that weigh in when making an offer with a precise value. Rarity of skill, economy, level of position, and several other things must be taken into consideration. Ultimately, the price offered may be the only one available in this situation.

After all is said and done, your acceptable pay rate is your decision. While this is a topic to approach with subtly, it is not impossible. The choice to navigate the conversation about your salary is not in the hands of your employer.

Strategies For Negotiating A Take It Or Leave It Job Offer

You think you’ve almost landed your dream job, perhaps a position uniquely tailored to your expertise in the construction field or a position you think could take you to the next level as an Environmental Engineer, but there are just one or two details about the position that you are not quite comfortable with. Perhaps the salary is not quite on par with what you’d like to receive as compensation. Maybe the position is offered by a smaller company that is somewhat miserly when it comes to offering vacation time to their employees.

If you are truly interested in the position and can really see yourself working for this particular company, it is worth your time to attempt to negotiate a take it or leave it job offer. You have nothing to lose and perhaps everything to gain by asserting yourself and essentially presenting a counter offer to your prospective employer.

Generally speaking, most engineering firms or construction companies looking to fill executive level positions make their decision from the pool of applicants they invited back for a second interview. If you learned something about the position or the company in the first interview that is not necessarily a good fit for you, be prepared in the second interview to present your case as to why you deserve that better salary or that extra week of vacation. Tell them how your unique skill set can be an asset to their construction or engineering firm. Let them know you want to work for them, be positive and enthusiastic in your demeanor. If they are fair, they will at least listen to you and give your statements some thoughtful consideration.

After the second interview, if you receive a phone call offering you the position, then you can discuss whether they have accepted your request for a larger salary, more time off, etc. Hopefully, they are eager enough to hire you to make some adjustments in their offer. If they decline to make any accommodations for the modifications you asked for, ask them for 24-48 hours to think over their offer.

At this point, it is truly up to you whether or not you want to accept their position as is, or if you want to continue in your job search. You could accept their job offer as presented to you, in the hopes that after working with the company they could see you truly deserve the extra benefit you originally asked for. On the other hand, perhaps it is better for you to move on and continue to look elsewhere for employment. Sooner or later, an opportunity will present itself again and with any luck, it will be just the right match between you and your new employer.

Plan Strategically

Strategic planning is among the most important elements of project management. It helps you and everyone involved to know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. When planning out a project, you’ll have to identify deliverables – establish project milestones, determine required labor as well as equipment. Planning strategically will go a long way in maximizing efficiency.

Establish a Flow of Communication

Effective communication is essential for successful project completion. In fact, 59 percent of the US workers believe that communication is their team’s major obstacle to success. Therefore, as a PM you’ll need to establish a flow of communication with the stakeholders and suppliers as well as other team members on the ground. Good and bad news alike will need to circulate in a timely manner. Failure to do so will lead to delays, misunderstandings and other problems in the long run.

The contract documents, including the drawings, progress records, request for information (RFI), and change order forms establish the basis for all communication in any project. Thus, it’s vital that any direct communication that’s not stated in these documents be acknowledged, documented and reported via the right channels; this flow of communication will make preparation and implementation smoother.

For large and more complicated projects, tools such as Collaborative Work Management (CWM) will come in handy. Such tools will dramatically improve communication by syncing attachments, comments, news, budgets, and calendars and enhance real-time scheduling of changes. As a result, it will allow you more time to coordinate work at the site and direct your efforts towards success.

Form a Habit of Monitoring Progress and Making Adjustments

Managing a project requires integrated effort and more attention. A good PM should be an essential part of the project, working closely and figuratively alongside others. You’ll have to carefully analyze daily progress reports as well as keep an eye on schedule and budget. Many are the times you will need to actually see an issue in person before you can resolve it. In case the set timelines start to slip, you’ll need to identify the possible root cause and discuss ways to bring the project back on track.

In conclusion, the key to a successful project completion is being firm but flexible. Always ensure you’re looking ahead to understand the risks involved in the project and try to mitigate them before they become big problems.

If you are looking for a career as a project manager, Webuild Staffing is here to help. That’s what we do best every day – find exceptional professonals, exceptional jobs!

How To Avoid The Most Common Mistakes When Negotiating A Job Offer

When you’re looking for a job, one of the most stressful aspects of the process is handling the salary conversation. We’ve always been taught it’s impolite to talk about money, and yet, there you are, meant to be haggling away and assigning value to yourself that should match a secret number your potential employer has in mind, too. It can seem like a minefield to navigate, but there are some common steps to this process that will help you move forward, especially in the construction and engineering industries, where numbers can depend on conversations that job seekers often have a hard time with. Here’s how to avoid the most common mistakes in salary negotiations:

Giving too much information: A potential employer will likely ask you what your current salary is, or what your requirements are. If they ask this early on, be aware: you don’t have to answer this directly.

If you’re hoping to make a vastly higher number than your current salary; you will give some leverage for the employer to offer you less early on. You’ll lose any kind of ground you can gain later in the interview process through negotiating–once you will have proven your value. Now, you do need to respond, and you should decide the way that you may feel most comfortable beforehand. One option is to do your research: use a salary calculator (like this handy one here) to determine an average salary range for your title and location, and use that number to create a salary range to offer to your potential employer. Or, if early enough in the process, simply and politely let the interviewer know that you’re aware of the industry standards, and appreciate their consideration along those lines for the position. Read the situation for an appropriate response, and practice answering these questions often so you won’t be caught unprepared and share numbers you weren’t ready to give yet.

Not negotiating at all: Some people are afraid that they’ll ruin their chances by being too demanding, or appearing greedy. But it’s a mistake not to ask for a salary that meets your value, especially if you feel that a salary offered isn’t ideal; often, companies can certainly afford much more than what they offer, and they’ll start at the low end of their range. As long as you do your research in terms of appropriate salary levels, you’ll likely be proving that a) you know your true value, and b) you’re an assertive, smart, and hard-working person they’d be lucky to bring on board. So, when offered a salary you’re not thrilled with, do respond by politely suggesting a number more in line with your needs, and the backed-up reasons why it’s realistic (your experience, your value, industry standards, and so on).

Taking negotiations personally, rather than logically: This goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip. Your future employer will not be hurt if you ask for more money–it’s a business transaction. So conversely, you need to remind yourself that their offers are solely based in business reasoning as well; they’re not at all personal. When a low salary is offered, it isn’t a reflection on you, and your response shouldn’t be emotional. It should be a counter backed up with facts and numbers that show you’re worth the number you’re putting forward. Consider, even, asking a question to keep conversation flowing evenly and in a friendly way: “Would you consider raising the amount by X to fully address the level of experience in this industry I bring…?” Try not to be flustered or caught off guard, because the calmer and more assertive you’re able to be, the more you’ll show your negotiating partner that you know what you’re doing, and you’ll see this through.

In a full negotiation, you may not always get your exact desired number, but with the right approach and research, you will very likely find that you’ll have a better outcome and salary than you would have before. Professionals who take the time to do some research before beginning the job search will find it makes a great difference in your take-home pay/benefits later.

5 Steps to Successful Employment Offer Negotiations

5 Steps to Successful Employment Offer Negotiations

Simple Tips For Negotiating Your Salary..

Simple Tips For Negotiating Your Salary..

Strategies For Negotiating A Take It Or Leave It Job Offer

Strategies For Negotiating A Take It Or Leave It Job Offer

How To Avoid The Most Common Mistakes When Negotiating A Job Offer

How To Avoid The Most Common Mistakes When Negotiating A Job Offer

About

Quick Links

Contact