Should I negotiate the salary?

After the stressful interview process, It is exciting to get a job offer in hand! But you might be wondering, should you negotiate the salary or any other aspects of the job offer, especially as a physiotherapist in India. 

It is a common practice in many other professions including engineering. People often negotiate on things such as salary, vacation days, start date, job location etc. But what about us? Should physiotherapists negotiate the salary or any other aspects of the job offer? The answer in most cases is a Yes!

As exciting as that sounds, let’s take a moment to really understand how to go about the process of negotiating the salary. 

Why negotiate the salary or the job offer?

• Well, the first reason is pretty obvious, you earn more money every month.
• Your starting salary is going to serve as a base figure based on which all the increments would follow. So if you have a higher base salary you will have higher increments in the future.
• If you decide to look for a new job in the future, your new employer may calculate your salary and job offer based on your current salary.
• Negotiating the salary or the job offer, let’s your employer know that you know your worth. 

What are the things you can negotiate on?

CTC  means Cost To Company. Basically, It is the annual salary package of an employee. It indicates the total expenses that a company spends on an employee in a given year. Most of the companies offer their salary in the form of CTC.

Many organisations have a cap on how much percent hike they can offer over and above the employee’s previous CTC. So they won’t go beyond their set numbers. 

Some organisations may not negotiate at all. They have predetermined fixed pay for the given role. So there can be times when your base salary can not be negotiated beyond a certain number. In those cases you can negotiate on other aspects of job offer such as:

• Vacation days
• Start day
• Work hours 
• Job location (This option may be very limited for physiotherapists) 

When not to negotiate the salary?

• When you are starting out as a fresher: Many companies will not negotiate the salary for a new graduate. The main reason is likely because freshers don’t have enough work experience. 

But if you have extensive observership/ internship experience in the similar role, if you have specialised certifications under your belt, you may go ahead with caution. 

• As I mentioned earlier, some companies have fixed rates and do not negotiate at all. In those cases you will not be able to negotiate the salary. In this case, you may choose to negotiate the salary just once. You may try negotiating on the other aspects of the job offer. 

How to negotiate the salary?

It is important to remember that salary negotiations should be handled tactfully. You can’t just demand any amount you want. You need to be polite yet confident when negotiating the salary or your job offer. If you go about this the wrong way, employers may choose to pull back their offer. 

• Know your worth. Find out the approximate salary range for the role.
• First thing first, say thank you for giving you the job offer.
• Secondly, if possible tell them the things you agree with in an offer
• Then mention what things you would like to negotiate
• Before starting to give them reasons on why they should give you the hike.
• Say something like “ I want to make this work” .This let’s your employer know that you are interested in working with them.
• When giving them reasons why you deserve a salary hike, focus on your key strengths that are suitable for the role.
• Keep your reasons clear and concise
• End on a cheerful note

Example:

Hello Mr XYZ,

Thank you so much for the job offer you gave me. I really appreciate that. I am happy to see the health benefits coverage offered by the company and I think vacation days provided are enough for my needs. I would like to ask for a reconsideration of the salary in the offer.I want to make this work but I was expecting it to be Rs *** per annum. Please take into consideration the following:

1. I have 2 years of work experience working in the same field.
2. I have completed certification course in *** 
3. I have *** no hours of observership/ internship experience in the same area.
4. I deliver high quality patient care which is reflected in the positive reviews. ( share a link or picture of your patient’s reviews.)
5. If you have any other significant achievements in the field, include them here.

Please let me know if there is an updated offer based on these. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you 

ABC

What to do when the employer gives you a counter offer?

Yay! They are reconsidering their offer and may be giving you the hike you wanted. It is time to reevaluate the new offer. See if it looks okay to you. If you are happy with it, you can go ahead and accept the offer. 

If it is still less than expected, you can choose to accept it anyway or go back negotiating one more time. Usually many people stop after asking twice. It is up to you how much you want to negotiate. No matter what, don’t forget to get the new offer in writing. 

What to do when the employer doesn’t want to negotiate the salary?

Sometimes employers don’t budge an inch. They are firm on their offer and do not want to negotiate. When this happens, you can look at the job offer one more time. If they are paying you pennies, you can choose to walk away from that offer, depending on your financial need at the time. Some people choose to accept the offer and keep looking for a new and better position.

Things to avoid when negotiating the salary.

• Don’t negotiate the salary without knowing the approximate salary range for the role you’re applying for
• Don’t negotiate the offer just because you want to negotiate.
• Avoid giving ultimatums, people, especially employers don’t like being told “ Do this or else”
• Avoid accepting or denying the offer immediately.
• Don’t start pointing out deficiencies in the job offer
• Don’t be greedy when you are negotiating 
• Don’t hold grudges. 

Salary negotiations can be intimidating. But if you have enough experience and qualifications, it is worth going in and negotiating the offer. After all, it is your choice whether or not to negotiate the job offer! 

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