Negotiation for a Salary and Relocation Package with the Government - Term Paper Example

Negotiation for a Salary and Relocation Package with the Government Introduction Why the subject is important I choose to take a stand on negotiating a salary after receiving my masters and a relocation package with the government. Most institutions have standard relocation packages depending on a person’s experience and rank, but room for negotiations is always available (Chapman, 2000). After working for the government for 2 years, and with all the budget cuts, relocation and COLA-Cost of living are the two budgets that they have decided to cut. In looking at the budget cuts, I feel that, even though relocation and COLA-Cost of living cuts have been made, it is still important and worth negotiating a salary with relocation incentives after finishing additional education, as this will determine the quality of the future and the life to follow after the appointment. My original job acceptance was an internship, and I feel that the government should not only hire someone on internship, but it should also further support the finishing of school, and provide a compensation package in order to rip the benefits of hiring a college graduate. According to statistics relocation packages have been dried up since the economy downturn in 2008. Most of the government cuts have been bonuses, perks and additional benefits and it is difficult to get them to look into paying an additional salary and relocation package. When negotiating for your salary, it is always good and advisable to request for a relocation package (Pinkley and Northcraft, 2003). It is important to start off with the right salary because the salary a person starts with can benefit the person on the yearly raises. Negotiating for the salary and relocation package helps a person to know his or her worth, and eventually get paid what one is worth, not less (Krannich, 1990). The government starts off salaries with the following GS-General Schedule categories: EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2012 Annual Rates by Grade and Step Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10 1 21812 22541 23267 23988 24714 25140 25857 26579 26608 27284 2 24525 25108 25919 26608 26907 27698 28490 29281 30073 30864 3 26758 27650 28542 29434 30326 31218 32110 33002 33894 34786 4 30039 31040 32041 33042 34043 35044 36045 37046 38047 39048 5 33608 34728 35848 36968 38088 39208 40327 41447 42567 43687 6 37463 38711 39960 41208 42457 43705 44954 46202 47451 48699 7 41631 43019 44407 45796 47184 48572 49960 51348 52736 54124 8 46106 47642 49178 50715 52251 53788 55324 56860 58397 59933 9 50923 52620 54317 56014 57711 59407 61104 62801 64498 66195 10 56079 57948 59818 61688 63557 65427 67297 69166 71036 72906 11 61612 63665 65719 67772 69825 71879 73932 75986 78039 80093 12 73848 76309 78771 81232 83693 86155 88616 91078 93539 96001 13 87815 90742 93669 96596 99523 102450 105377 108304 111231 114158 14 103771 107230 110688 114147 117606 121064 124523 127982 131441 134899 15 122064 126133 130202 134271 138340 142409 146478 150546 154615 155500 Negotiating Salary with the government When negotiating salary with the government, there is always the need for a person to: a) Know what worth is by doing research, according to Pinkley and Northcraft (2003), and looking at sites such as NACE. Knowing one’s worth provides a basis for negotiating, and this will help a person to get the salary range that a person deserves, than a lower salary offered by the employer or the government. b) As a person discovers his or her worth, this question should be asked: what can I bring to the table? What a person brings to the table is a person’s contribution to the institute employing, or the government. This will provide justification for the salary a person is requesting (Shell, 2006). c) It is important when a person collects references and school letters to get advice from counselors, teachers, internships jobs and regular jobs (Chapman, 2001). Getting advice helps a person learn from others who have been through the process of negotiating salary, learn from their achievements and mistakes, and not repeat the mistakes they committed (Pinkley and Northcarft, 2003). d) Networking is the key to finding out what a person’s worth is, and where to locate the jobs that one is interested in (Hopkinson, 2011). Through networking, a person gets to know what other people in his or her position and with the same qualifications earns, and how the government or a company pays. e) The government uses KSA’s, which are Knowledge skills and abilities, which are used to attract the best applicants. A person should be well aware of his or her personal skill, and use them appropriately in order to attract a higher salary package (Krannich, 1990). Knowledge, skills and abilities are what distinguish a person from other applicants, in case the academic qualifications are the same. Therefore, a person should always explain and express his or her skills and abilities appropriately when negotiation a salary or for a compensation package. f) Displaying your salary history, such as previous salary or salary you expect to receive on this new position. Studies shows that men who negotiate for their salaries get 4.3% more than their counterparts who do not negotiate. Women who negotiate receive 2.7% more salary than those who do not negotiate (Pinkleys and Northcraft, 2003). Negotiating for a salary using one’s salary history and what a person expects to receive, is always a plus for a person to an employer, and in this case, the government. g) Always be ready to negotiate to be able to have an offer from more than one position and to have options. The government can prove to be the hardest to negotiate a salary with and, even though, there is always room for negotiation (Chapman, 2001). A person ought to consider and put in mind the following factors when negotiating a salary or relocation package with the government. i. Start by presenting a salary range that would demonstrates your KSA’s and present local salary ranges. Present a salary which is higher than you expect to get, in order to, at least, receive a salary that you are worth (Hopkinson. 2011). ii. It is important to include a salary range from a person’s previous record, and the contribution that may help in the amount of compensation one would like to have. Important information like advanced education, skills and abilities ought to be provided when negotiating for a salary with the government. This is supposed to provide a base for requesting for a salary hike (Shell, 2006). iii. A person ought to stress the benefit to the government in paying him or her, a certain salary that will benefit them by paying you more. A person need to state the contributions that he or she will make to the government, when employed and because of the salary a person will be earning. For example, a certain amount of salary will give job satisfaction, and with job satisfaction there is motivation which leads to a high quality of work done and the output. iv. Be realistic. Citing unrealistic figures falling in categories where one do not fit will only decrease a person’s chances of being hired or having a salary increment (Dawson, 2006). v. Include any other compensation that is valuable such as, advancement opportunities, reward system, and pay for performance. This will ensure that nothing has been overlooked when negotiating for a salary with the government. vi. One needs to research and know the department or the boss that you will be working for. vii. Be grounded or stick to an objective criteria. Relocating incentives and purpose Agencies have in the past paid relocation incentives to an employee in order to relocate to a different geographic area for a satisfying position. Individuals further their education in order to pursue a rewarding career and sometimes that career may take them to a different area to live. Today is very costly to move and the average moving expenses is around 10,000 or more. Relocation and compensation packages ought to be provided by the government and any other agency. The standard relocation package for most companies and the government agencies may not be enough to compensate for the expenses. This calls for negotiations in order to receive the favorable and desirable package (Pinkleys and Northcraft, 2003). Competitive market-value Negotiating salary and relocation packages are part of accepting the offer but most people do not know how to negotiate correctly, or are scared of negotiation (Dawson, 2006). When negotiating, each party decides the amount of value they must claim in order to justify the exchange. Job applicants negotiate the work they will do with the salary they will receive and benefits. Negotiating enables a job applicant to receive a compensation package and salary befitting a person’s qualifications, skills and abilities (Hopkinson, 2011). Determine your Value to the government The value of hiring an educated applicant over a non skilled person is for the skills, and to meet the KSA’s, Knowledge, skills and abilities of the individual. A person determines his/ her value depending on skills and abilities. An employer needs to know the salary history for a person, in order to determine the value and worth of the person, and to determine the salary range they will offer the job applicant (Chapman, 2001). Calculate your acceptable salary range There are certain aspects and requirements a person needs to put into consideration and to know when negotiating a salary and a compensation package (Krannich, 1990). a) Doing research about the employer and the department a person is likely to join and work or, together with the boss. A person should also research about the salary range offered by the employer in order to know what to ask for. b) Do not talk too early, before there is need to. c) Do not get trapped up in the salary requirements lead. Let the employer mention, then negotiate from the range given by the employer. d) When given the offer strike first before accepting what they say. e) Do not commit early. f) Try to mention other offers before deciding. g) Negotiate extras like benefits, relocation compensation and other benefits. h) Make sure your qualities and values are known. Evaluate the Entire compensation package Before deciding anything, evaluate the compensation package by prioritizing what is important first, then followed by others. For example, the salary can be important than relocation package, therefore it should be given the first priority. Summary and Conclusion Salary negotiations need to be part and parcel of job application and acceptance. The salary that a person accepts determines the life and future of the job applicant in terms of salary increment, and being paid what one is worth (Pinkleys and Northcraft, 2003). Relocating because of the new appointment requires a lot of money, and the government or any other agency need to compensate for the amount used while relocating. A person’s ability to negotiate and using the right skills determines the size and the weight of package a person will receive. The government may seem hard to negotiate with because of the standards they use when employing and the salary ranges depending on grade and class, there is always room for negotiations to take place. This is because, as long as the government expects to benefit from your qualifications, skills and abilities, it should also be willing to compensate to the employee according to the value he or she will bring to it (Chapman, 2001). Negotiating for a salary is the key to a person’s future and worth, since value and worth are measured with the salary a person receives or has been receiving in the past. The emphasis is that, if a person desires and wants to be paid an excellent salary, he or she should go for it by negotiating and aiming at getting what one wants and deserves. References Chapman, J. (2001). Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. Dawson, R. (2006). Secrets of power salary negotiations: inside secrets from a master negotiator. New Jersey: Career press. Hopkinson, J. (2011). Salary tutor: learn the negotiations secrets no one else ever taught you. New York: Business plus. Krannich, R. (1990). Salary Success: Know What You're Worth and Get It! Woodbridge, VA: Impact Books. Pinkley, R., and Northcraft, G. (2003). Get paid what you are worth: The expert negotiators’ guide to salary and compensation. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Shell, R. (2006). Bargaining advantage: negotiation strategies for reasonable people. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin books. Read More