Negotiating a Job Offer

Today I am going to be discussing how to go about negotiating a job offer, in todays' society it can be extremely hard to obtain a job, especially for myself as I am coming to the end of my time at university and will be soon searching for a job to pursue my career in the media sector. Have you ever been offered a job, taken it and then realised you could have negotiated a better salary?
After sending out resumes and attending interviews you have finally received a job offer, is now the time to relax? Most certainly not, as negotiating a job offer is one of the most challenging parts in the experience of finding a new job, this is because you want to earn the maximum amount of money that the employer is willing to pay. 

The first thing you need to think about is what exactly is up for negotiation? Firstly, what is the salary? When offered your salary you do not want to go straight into the negotiation process, but instead reply with "I expect my salary to represent the job role". Asking about your current wage package is one way of them discovering your BATNA, this is your business and if you are currently employed simply reply stating with what it will take to make you move jobs. You also need to ask about a 6 month review, and whether this includes a bonus. You need to ask about your holiday, 22 days? Does it include bank holidays? You will want to find out your allowances, the commuting costs and whether a parking space is included. Another major factor is your personal development, is this company willing to provide you with the needed training or a possible mentor? All these things need to be considered.

The key to this is by not negotiating anything until you have a firm offer. An example I would like to use is from when I accepted a job in the past without any concern over the pay, I was receiving £5.50 hourly and didn't think much of it, but when I asked one of my colleagues how much they were being paid they got £6.50 hourly. I asked how they managed to receive this and they said it was because they negotiated their pay after the interview as they got paid £6.50 at their old job and wouldn't leave unless they matched it.

From this experience and from what I have learnt I know that I should take all the factors previously discussed into consideration before I am next put into a situation whereby I am making a crucial decision on a job offer. Have you ever been in a similar situation to mine? Or do you remember how you handled your last job offer? Join in with the discussion by making comments below.
Josh :)