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Negotiations can be stressful, whether via email, phone,
or in person.
But it's often easier to strike the right tone
when negotiating over the phone or in person,
either because you've developed a connection with the recruiter
or interviewer or simply because it's easier
to convey your message with minimal risk of confusion
behind your tone.
Through more verbal and visual approaches,
you can more confidently and comfortably
express how much you want the job
and respect the team, while also requesting a higher
salary or more benefits.
Email however, can be much trickier.
How do you stand your ground, ask for a raise,
and come across as respectful at the same time?
Also, should you even consider negotiating
via email in the first place?
These days, unless you're conversing
with a recruiter or an extremely large firm,
the vast majority of your interactions
with a future employer are going to take place over email.
Not to mention, when you're fresh in the stages of looking
for work, non-verbal communication such as emails,
is pretty much all you have as a means of pitching yourself
as a prospective employee.
Gone are the days where you could physically
walk into a place of business, drop off your resume,
and use those few minutes of interaction
to make somewhat of an impression.
As such, you're likely to receive an offer
letter outlining benefits via email
as opposed to in person and your first opportunity to negotiate
will likely be through a written message.
Even if you're eventually able to steer the conversation
to an in-person or face to face discussion,
it's important to feel confident negotiating, regardless
of the communication medium, email included.
Before I share my template, check out the one major pro
and con of negotiating via email to begin with.
Pro, time.
The biggest pro about negotiating via email
is that you give both yourself and your employer
time to think through the raise or PTO being requested.
Often, making a negotiation request
in person or over the phone results in the opposite person
being unable to complete the request,
as they need to confer with their boss or human resources
to see what they can bring to the table.
An email that way, allows the other parties sufficient time
to make their counteroffer and even gives you time
to think over added benefits to negotiate
if you aren't given the salary or bonus you hoped for.
I've often forgotten about the specifics of other benefits
like PTO or sick leave or flexible hours,
in the heat of the moment of negotiating for a higher
salary.
As such, an email gives both you and your future employer time
to think through the offer.
Con, tone.
In my opinion, the main con to an email negotiation
is the tone of voice.
When negotiating, you want to both express your gratitude
for an offer but also stand firm that you feel you deserve more.
Via email, it is all too easy to come off as arrogant
and it's hard to tell how your message is being received,
given that you have no idea when your recipient will accept
your offer or how soon they'll respond to you.
If you come off too strong, it can be mistaken for being rude
and there's a chance that could go with another candidate
instead.
However, if you're not firm enough,
you risk reducing your chances of a successful negotiation
overall.
Now, these cons could be applicable in person too,
especially for women who may struggle with standing
their ground in a negotiation.
It's a tricky balancing act, considering that over the phone
or in person negotiations can also
go wrong for someone who is overconfident and comes across
as smug.
But these situations are a bit rarer,
while a total misunderstanding via email
happens to virtually everyone.
As such, here's a template I recommend for nailing
your email negotiation.
Hi.
Insert name.
Thank you so much for this offer.
I'm looking forward to starting soon.
First and foremost, insert any clarifying questions
regarding the offer/benefits package here.
If you could clarify that for me, I'd really appreciate it.
Next, I would like to discuss compensation further.
In full transparency, I expected to make x dollars
in this position.
Can we find a way to bridge the gap?
I am confident that I bring a lot of value to the team here.
Here, insert paragraph outlining your strengths.
If you're hoping to negotiate a rate that's
significantly higher than what the company quoted,
I recommend writing a detailed message reemphasizing
what you bring to the table.
If you're simply hoping to meet market rate though
and the company has quoted you less
than your research indicates you deserve,
this is the time to quote that.
Again, I am incredibly excited to have
been offered this position.
Thank you for your consideration and I genuinely look forward
to working with and learning from everyone on the team.
I hope we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
If it would be easier to discuss this further via phone,
you can feel free to give me a call
at, insert phone number any time between, insert date and time.
I look forward to hearing about how
we can finalize this offer so that it
meets both of our needs.
Thank you.
Name.
While this template doesn't work for negotiating once you've
already landed the job, it can certainly
be tweaked to let your boss you want to raise
or a higher bonus, especially if you
find yourself taking on more work as a result of downsizing
during the pandemic.
You can also negotiate other benefits.
Adding a simple line like, I'd like
to discuss the possibility of increasing
my PTO to 15 days from 10, given that the salary and bonus seem
fixed.
I'm looking forward to discussing these final details
so we can move ahead with a revised offer letter.
You always have the best leverage
for negotiating after you've received an offer letter
but before you've signed it.
So I hope this template is helpful.
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