How to Get, and Negotiate, Your Next Job in Tech

Applying for jobs, interviewing, and negotiating salary can be stressful, intimidating, and time consuming, but don’t let that stop you. You deserve a job you're passionate about. Furthermore, even relatively small increases in salary can compound over the years and lead to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in total future income. Below are some tips and tricks to maximize your compensation, land a job you love, and much more.

Provide massive amounts of value

You gain leverage for salary increases and attract desired employers by providing massive amounts of value to your company. Make sure to add value and meticulously track it so you can use the data when applying to a new position. 85% of the battle is complete before you even apply for a new position if you provide massive value, track it, and learn to communicate it effectively.

Write it all down prior to interviewing

Why does the employer need you? What skills, talents, etc. do you have that will help your manager and your company thrive? How do your values and goals align with the company's values and mission? Write these down and be ready to discuss them during the interview process. The goal is to write out how the value you have provided in the past, and can provide in the future, will benefit them. Thinking through this and writing it down will help you to articulate it clearly while interviewing.

Do your research

Talk to colleagues, peers, recruiters, your financial planner etc. to get an idea of what you’re worth. You want as much information as possible on this. It is essential for understanding where you stand and what your value is to the company. We’ve listed some research tools at the end of this blog.

Negotiate for more than just your salary

Equity compensation, bonus, a signing bonus, benefits, professional development, time off between jobs, vacation, flexibility, etc. are all potentially negotiable. You may also be able to negotiate an equity buyout if you will miss out on unvested equity with your current employer. Make sure to clearly ask what is negotiable. Generally, the more valuable you are, the more flexibility you have when negotiating.

Hire a coach

Coaches can be pricey, but they can provide a ton of value and are usually well worth the money. They can practice with you and help with confidence, research, industry specific knowledge, and much more. This is particularly important if you’re new to negotiations or particularly nervous about negotiating and/or interviewing. 

Write down your goals

Write down your goals and a compensation number and aim high. If you expect more, you’ll usually get more. Discuss this number and anything else you’re asking for with a significant other, a colleague, or your financial planner to increase your accountability. Finally, write it all down and keep it in your pocket when you walk into the negotiation as another way to hold yourself accountable.

Fear set

What’s the absolute worst thing that can happen? You’ll usually realize that the worst-case scenario isn’t so bad, especially if you have multiple offers. At worst, you’ll have a direct and honest conversation that will result in you knowing where you stand, how much they value you, and where you need to improve your value and skills to get the job and salary you desire down the road. If you don’t get the job or the salary you want, then make sure that you walk away knowing exactly what improvements you need to make to obtain them in the future.

Research the people you will be interviewing with

That’s right, LinkedIn stalking is a must. You look lazy, unmotivated, and unprofessional if you go into an interview knowing little to nothing about the person you will be meeting. Learn as much as you can and don’t be afraid to bring up commonalities, shared experiences, or questions about their background that you are curious about. This shows that you’ve done your homework and you care about the job and the interviewer. 

Be transparent and honest from the start

Don’t waste your time or theirs. If you have other offers, disclose this early. If you have a minimum salary requirement, then let them know right away. If you’re super excited about the company, their values, and their mission then make this very clear. Employers will respect the fact that you disclose these things early because it shows you respect their time and your own time.

Be human when negotiating

Perhaps you want to provide a better life for your family, take nicer vacations or save more for retirement. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to state it and have a conversation about it. Of course, this must be accompanied with evidence that you will excel in the role and provide massive value to the company.

Ask with confidence then stop talking and listen

After you confidently state what you are asking for, and the reasons you deserve it, then it’s time to stop talking and listen. Make sure to ask open ended questions and paraphrase to gain clarity while you listen. 

Look for consistency

When interviewing with multiple employees at an organization make sure to have a few questions that you ask everyone. These should be the questions that are most important to you. Questions about culture, work-life balance, leadership, etc. are all good areas to get multiple perspectives on. The purpose is to look for consistency to assure you’re making the right choice. If there are inconsistencies, don’t be afraid to point them out and push harder on them. Picking an employer is an extremely important decision and you want to make sure it’s a great fit.

Get a few offers to gain leverage

Talk to recruiters and potentially explore offers from other employers. This will help you understand your value and help leverage for your salary negotiations. If you have multiple offers on the table, you have the leverage to negotiate aggressively.

For the future

focus on gaining skill sets that are both valuable and rare. Work to become indispensable and immensely valuable to gain massive leverage in future salary negotiations with current employers and when searching for a new position.

Consider optimizing for well-being, freedom, and happiness

Money is important and can potentially help you reach some of your goals but it’s not everything. Consider optimizing for a company with a mission you love, values that resonate with you, and excellent flexibility. Make sure you like the other employees and that your potential boss is someone you would enjoy working for and learning from. Because what’s the point of having more money if you’re sacrificing your well-being, freedom, and happiness.