Job negotiation is often the most difficult part of any recruitment campaign, particularly if the candidate doesn’t accept your initial salary offer. Here’s how to close the deal and leave everyone happy.

Meeting expectations

Establish the amount you are willing to pay from the very beginning. When you screen candidates, try to get an idea of the package they are looking for before they arrive for the interview.

Have confidence

• Be confident in the reasons why you are offering the successful candidate this particular salary level.
• Don’t pass it off straight away if they try to negotiate.
• Listen, and try to understand their reasons for wanting more money. Ask yourself if their request is reasonable.
• If they make a strong case for receiving a higher salary, consider improving the offer if your budget will stretch to it.

Act quickly

Once the salary package has been agreed upon, don’t delay in sending out the final offer in writing. Having been through a long interview process and tricky job negotiation, you don’t want to find that your ideal candidate has been poached by one of your competitors!