Tip #3: Inventory Your Accomplishments | 28 Days of Salary Negotiation
/You might think this this one can go without saying, but it can be easily overlooked. When you're negotiating for a salary, either within a new job or through an internal promotion at your current workplace, it's critical to move beyond skills and talk about accomplishments.
Consider the following questions that move the conversation deeper than enumerating your skills and speak to your achievements and accomplishments:
What outcomes have you personally -- or as part of a team -- delivered?
How did those outcomes benefit the organization (ideally their bottom line)?
How are you uniquely positioned to deliver key outcomes for this organization?
When the salary negotiation stays in the context of outcomes and accomplishments, the conversations stays specifically about YOU, and the direct benefit you provide to the organization.
Use the questions above to inventory your accomplishments, and whenever possible, assign dollar values to those accomplishments. Keep in mind, this is not limited to revenue generated for the company. It can easily include the following time and money saved through more efficient operations, risks (and costs) avoided, or even improved employee or customer satisfaction. Don't be afraid to be creative with this, but do always try your best to couch your accomplishments in terms of dollars.
Have you had success in increasing your salary or earning a promotion based on your accomplishments? Tell us about it in the comments!