How to negotiate $300,000 at Google?
Don’t give a number
It’s not a surprise Google pays exceedingly well for their software engineers. While a lot of their workers are definitely talented to meet the bar, they often neglect a key skill to maximize their compensation.
Negotiation.
Google’s employees may be technically excellent, but if they’ve never practiced negotiating, then they’re as helpless as anyone else.
In this article I’ll share a tip that will instantly set you aside from the rest for your next compensation negotiations.
The Myth About Negotiating
How do you negotiate your salary?
“Just give them a number twice the amount you really want”.
- Someplace on the internet
The above is the most common advice you’ll hear about negotiating. In makes sense on the surface because, if you go above what you really want, maybe the recruiter will meet you in the middle.
It makes sense on the surface and sounds ideal, but here’s a story to understand why it’s a mistake following that advice.
Saving a Hostage in Haiti
In 1977, the aunt of a Haitian political official was kidnapped within the country. The kidnappers demanded $150,000 in ransom, a seemingly fair amount for the aunt’s life. It sounds fair until you learn why the kidnappers are asking for $150,000.
Chris Voss was an FBI detective and professional negotiator at the time and investigated why they demanded so much.
“So they could party through the weekend”
When he learned their ransom was just to party, he offered them $4,751 and a CD stereo. The criminals accepted and released the aunt.
From $150,000 to $4,751, these criminals gave a number 31.57x their expected amount and only got a fraction! I wouldn’t trust these criminals to negotiate my salary and neither should you.
So what went wrong?
(ref. Chris Voss’ Never Split The Difference)
Haiti and Negotiating your offer
Here’s what the above story will teach you about negotiating with “a large number”.
You can and will be talked down.
If a recruiter asks your salary expectation and you offer a number twice your expectation, be prepared to defend why you’re asking that amount.
If you’re not ready to defend why you’re requesting any amount, you’re vulnerable to be offered a compensation below what you listed. The recruiter will catch wind of this and talk you down to as reasonably as possible.
Reasonably will either be
- A little more than what you currently make
- A little more than a competing offer
- A little less than what is budgeted for the role
A Real World Example
Recruiter: What’s your expected salary?
Candidate: (I know the role is usually $100,000) $200,000
Recruiter: How much are you compensated in your current role?
Candidate: $90,000
Recruiter: We’d be excited to offer you $95,000 for your experiences for the role.
So Why Do They Even Ask?
We’ve learned that recruiters ask for a number to talk you down to something that’s more reasonable. The other byproduct of asking is that it sets a ceiling for yourself.
You’ll hardly ever be offered more than what you asked for and what you ask for can and will be talked down.
The takeaway from all of this is to never give an expected compensation.
Tell them you “haven’t thought about it” when really you’ve been thinking about this before you even applied.
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