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Negotiation skills are incredibly valuable, whether you’re negotiating a salary in a new job, or even deliberating with your partner about who’s taking the trash out.

If you’re looking to rev up your negotiation skills, then you likely intend to use them to deliberate with a potential new employer. However, your negotiation skills can serve you in many aspects of your life.

In today’s competitive job market, it’s more important than ever to have strong negotiation skills. Whether you’re negotiating your salary, benefits, or other terms of employment, you’ll want to come prepared.

In this article, I’ll share some simple ways you can use negotiation skills in your career, but in other ways as well. I’ll also tell you some of the key negotiation skills I’ve used to succeed in my interviews and in new hire conversations with employers.

When and How to Use Your Negotiation Skills

Contrary to popular belief, negotiation isn’t just a skill you use when you’ve been offered a new job. You likely use it on a regular basis in ways you never considered.

Yes, you might negotiate your salary (and other benefits) with a potential new employer, but you might use similar skills to negotiate with a current employer.

You may also use your negotiation skills to deliberate with your partner about who does what chores around the house, your kids to get them to clean their room, your friends to decide where to eat, or family members to get them to stop hassling you about when you’re having a kid.

Your negotiation skills can help you get out of a tough bind, or they can help you get more of what you’re looking for in a new job. 

Essentially, any time you’re debating with another party (that may have differing interests) to get what you want, you’re using negotiation skills.

You can use your negotiation skills in a number of ways, but for the purpose of this article, I’ll be focusing on sharing techniques I’ve used to succeed in my interviews and new hire dialogues.

7 Negotiation Skills I’ve Used in Interviews and New Hire Dialogues

Here are some of the negotiation skills I’ve obtained to succeed in interviews and new hire dialogues:

1. Understand BATNA 

BATNA stands for “best alternative to a negotiated agreement.” It’s important to know your BATNA before you start negotiating. This is the deal you’ll walk away with if you can’t reach an agreement with the other party. 

Having a strong BATNA will give you more leverage in the negotiation, but it’s just as important to ensure you understand the other party’s BATNA.

Here’s an example… Let’s say you’ve received two job offers, we’ll call them Company A and Company B. You decide to focus on negotiating with Company A, because it’s really your number 1 pick, yet you want to make sure you’re satisfied with the benefits package.

Company A offers you a $70,000 salary, but you’re really looking for a salary in the $75,000 to $85,000 range, so you ask Company A for a $80,000 salary. In this situation, your BATNA is Company B’s offer. Company A’s BATNA is to offer the job to another candidate.

By the way, I first learned this tactic from a book, Negotiation Genius, which I highly recommend reading if you’re committed to enhancing your negotiation skills.

2. Utilize Ramit Sethi’s briefcase technique. 

Ramit Sethi is a personal finance expert who teaches people how to negotiate their salaries. One of his most effective strategies is the briefcase technique. 

This involves bringing a briefcase to your interview filled with documents that support your salary demands. This could include things like your resume, salary surveys, and letters of recommendation. 

The briefcase technique shows the interviewer that you’re serious about getting a fair salary and that you’re prepared to negotiate.

Ramit shares some great strategies and tactics to help you follow this technique, so I encourage you to read up on his work.

3. Do your research. 

Before you go into negotiations, it’s important to do your research and know what the market rate is for your position and experience level. This will help you set realistic salary expectations. 

You can use online salary surveys or talk to your network to get this information. By knowing the market rate for your position and experience level, you’ll have a strong foundation from which you can begin negotiations.

4. Be prepared to answer questions about your salary expectations. 

The interviewer will likely ask you what salary you’re looking for. Be prepared to answer this question with the research you completed in step 3. In so doing, you’ll look like a knowledgeable and informed candidate.

Not only will you look better to your potential employer, but you’ll be more prepared to negotiate terms that are more favorable for yourself.

5. Be prepared to negotiate on other terms of employment besides salary. 

During negotiations, a lot of employees focus on salary, which isn’t a bad place to start, but those aren’t the only terms worth negotiating.

You might want to negotiate your benefits, vacation time, signing bonus, or even flexible work arrangements.

I have successfully negotiated not only a more favorable salary but also PTO and a remote work arrangement (when such an arrangement wasn’t typical).

6. Be prepared to compromise. 

Don’t expect to get everything you want in the negotiation. Be willing to compromise on some things in order to get what you really want. 

Negotiation is a two-way street! You won’t likely get everything you want, but you should be willing to give some to get what matters most to you.

7. Be prepared to walk away. 

This is one of the most important negotiation skills. If you’re not happy with the offer, be prepared to walk away. This shows the other party that you’re serious and that you’re not afraid to lose the deal.

Remember that you and the employer both have a BATNA!

Methods to Enhance Your Negotiation Skills

In addition to the seven skills above, there are a few other things you can do to improve your negotiation skills:

Practice. 

The more you negotiate, the better you’ll become at it. So start practicing with friends or family. You might even perfect your techniques by watching yourself in the mirror.

Read books and articles that cover negotiation skills. 

There are many resources available that can teach you the basics of negotiation.

I highly recommend reading Negotiation Genius if you’re committed to optimizing your negotiation skills.

Get feedback. 

Ask a trusted friend or colleague to give you feedback on your negotiation skills. This can help you identify areas where you can improve.

Negotiation can be learned and improved with practice. By following the tips in this article, you can increase your chances of success in interviews and in your new hire dialogues.

Additional Tips to Improve Your Negotiation Skills

Here are some additional tips to help you succeed during negotiations:

Be confident. 

Confidence is key in any negotiation. If you don’t believe in yourself, the other party won’t either. 

Before you start negotiating, take some time to boost your confidence. Remind yourself of your skills and accomplishments. Think about why you’re the best person for the job. And don’t be afraid to ask for what you want!

Be a good listener. 

It’s important to listen to the other party’s concerns and to try to understand their point of view. This will help you come up with a solution that’s mutually beneficial.

Be professional and respectful. 

Even if negotiations get heated, it’s important to stay professional. Remember that you may still want to work with this person in the future.

Remain professional and respectful during negotiations to leave a good impression. And you never know… It could lead to better opportunities in the future!

Thank the other party for their time. 

Even if you don’t reach an agreement, it’s important to thank the other party for their time and consideration. This will leave a positive impression and may help you in future negotiations.

Conclusion

Use these tips to enhance your negotiation skills and you’ll be well on your way to success.

Remember, negotiation is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. So don’t be afraid to put these tips into action and see how they work for you.

Have you used any of these skills in a negotiation? If so, let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear your story!

And for more tips like these, check out the following article:

How to Negotiate a Salary in Your Current Job

Best of luck to you on your journey to career success!

Think developing your negotiation skills will help FIRE Your Career? Check out the posts page for more ways you can FIRE Your Career and achieve financial freedom.

FIRE Your Career: Achieve Financial Freedom Through Your Career & Spend MORE Time Doing What You Love.

Tools I recommend in this article:

Negotiation Genius (book to develop and improve your negotiation skills)

Tools I frequently recommend:

ClickUp (my recommended goal-tracking and project management tool)

Strengths Finder (book to help you uncover your innate strengths, includes a free personality quiz)