Ten negotiation tenets to follow

Who’s going to negotiate your contract: you or a professional? Lawyer Scott Roman – at a recent AGA Regional Practice Skills Workshop – explained that answering this question early on can help ensure you maximize your contract benefits. His advice for any negotiation is keep to the following in mind:

• Prepare, prepare, prepare. Employers know when you’re winging it.
•  Gain leverage. The more offers you have, the more leverage.
•  Give yourself adequate time to negotiate.
•  Establish your objectives and anticipate objectives of the employer.
•  Determine the best case, worst case, and most likely scenario before you start negotiating.
•  Try to define nonnegotiable issues.
•  Try to get something each time you give something.
•  Don’t negotiate against yourself.
•  Keep cool and remember that these are people you may have to work with.
•  Be flexible.

View the full presentation (login required), which also covers hot topics in negotiating your contract – more than 1-year base salary, bonuses, student loan repayment.

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