Now may be a good time for nurses, pharmacists,
radiologists, pharmacy technicians and others to review how best to
negotiate their salaries, says Frank Heasley, PhD, president and CEO,
MedZilla, a leading Internet recruitment and professional community
that targets jobseekers and HR Professionals in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals,
healthcare and science. “There are shortages across the board in
nursing, pharmacy, radiology and in some areas of biotech. What better
time to flex your muscle and try to get the highest possible salary,”
Heasley says.
Tips from a pro
“You might want to shout your desired
salary to the world, but don’t,”
says Joe Stimac, president of Kansas City-based
AccuHire.com, an applicant screening company.
In fact, according to Stimac, the key
to negotiating an acceptable salary is
to remain silent about what you want to
make or expect to make until the employer
utters the first words.
It might rattle your nerves, but let
the hospital make the offer first. If
you start talking salary before the employer
does, it says, “I’m greedy.
What’s in it for me?”
“This is a horrible faux pas that
an untrained applicant will make. The
first question to the employer should
never be: ‘What’s the salary
and benefit package?’ This is when
you haven’t even explored the job!
Your primary motivator appears to be the
compensation package,” Stimac says.
“It’s almost like dating. The
first question you ask your date should
not be ‘How much money can you afford
to spend on me?’”
Instead, be patient, Stimac says, and
wait until the employer makes the offer
because that’s when the jobseeker
has leverage. The employer’s goal
is to pinpoint and offer the lowest attractive
salary. “They’re going to ask
you, ‘What are your salary requirements?’
The way to respond is: ‘What is the
salary range you typically offer for someone
with my skills?’ Throw it back in
their court,” says Stimac, who is
author of the books The Ultimate Job Search
Kit and Winning Career Strategies.
By mentioning a salary figure, you set
a mental boundary that might be too low
or so high that it knocks you out of the
running. But if you know the low and high
ranges then you know exactly what to shoot
for, and, of course, you would go for
the high end. Here’s how: Let’s
says the salary is between $30,000 and
$36,000 and the offer is $30,100. Don’t
accept immediately. In fact, say that
you’ll need a day to think about
it.
“It’s time to play some poker,”
Stimac says. Take your day to do research
and prepare your case. Look at salary
surveys on the Internet for your region
of the country. If they’re paying
below the going rate, you want to ask
why. Hospitals that pay far below the
averages send red flags that they might
be in trouble. Build a strategy to counter
offer. Figure out why you’re worth
$36,000. Maybe it’s that you had
high grades in nursing school, you have
a good work ethic or great experience.
Always ask the employer to reconsider—never
demand it. State your case and consider
acting as if you have another job offer.
Be confident. Always shoot high because
the employer will counter. “This
takes a little bit of guts,” Stimac
says.
Do the negotiating before the job offer
because once you start the job your negotiating
days are finished. The ball’s in
your court when you get the final offer.
You have to decide whether you can live
with the salary. If the salary is low,
look at other aspects such as benefits,
including insurance, time off, and shift
differentials. These are all things that
are negotiable before you’re hired.
According to Stimac, in many cases you
can negotiate starting date, vacation,
relocation expenses and a starting bonus.
Sometimes hospitals will offer a bonus
if the jobseeker starts immediately. Everyone
is under a budget crunch these days so
be respectful of an employer who can’t
offer more but may have some great fringe
benefits (nice working conditions, great
staff, etc). The ultimate reward may be
just a few months down the road with a
promotion.
“Your job is basically to make the
presentation as strongly as you can about
what you have to offer then negotiate
the offer to be a win-win situation,”
Stimac says.
There’s no time like the present
to improve your negotiating skills, according
to Medzilla
“Healthcare costs have risen dramatically
in the past few years, but healthcare
salaries haven’t kept pace. We are
seeing that hospitals and other employers
are under pressure to hire more and better
quality staff, for a variety of reasons,”
Dr. Heasley says. “These observations
lead us to suggest that now may be a good
time for nurses, pharmacists, radiologists
and a few other healthcare professionals
whose abilities are in demand to improve
their salary negotiating skills.”
