– + Learn

Tips and Tricks for Responding to a Salary Offer, with Crystal Granger

by

Share

Listen On:

You’ve got a job offer, and the salary is more than you expected. You can’t wait to accept. Hold on a sec, says Find Your Dream Job guest Crystal Granger. You need to ask for 24-72 hours to think about it. Crystal says every employer expects you to take this time to think through what you need in a full benefits package before accepting their offer. Consider your expenses, taxes, and what this offer means for future growth in your career and earnings. And Crystal suggests that you always ask for more with complete confidence, even if the offer is beyond what you expected. 

About Our Guest:

Crystal Granger is the total rewards and equity manager at  Bob’s Red Mill.

Resources in This Episode:

Transcript

Find Your Dream Job, Episode 406:

Tips and Tricks for Responding to a Salary Offer, with Crystal Granger

Airdate: July 5, 2023

Mac Prichard:

This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want, and make a difference in life.

I’m your host, Mac Prichard. I’m also the founder of Mac’s List. It’s a job board in the Pacific Northwest that helps you find a fulfilling career.

Every Wednesday, I talk to a different expert about the tools you need to get the work you want.

Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume. TopResume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster.

Get a free review of your resume today.

Go to macslist.org/topresume.

You’ve received a job offer.

Congratulations!

Now it’s time to talk about money.

Crystal Granger is here to share tips and tricks for responding to a salary offer.

She’s the total rewards and equity manager at Bob’s Red Mill. It’s an employee-owned company that makes natural, certified organic, and gluten-free milled grain products.

Crystal joins us from Portland, Oregon.

Well, Crystal, let’s jump right into it. Why shouldn’t you accept the first salary figure that an employer proposes?

Crystal Granger:

Great question, Mac. I think that I wouldn’t say that it’s not okay to not accept the first salary offer that someone proposes. But I do think that you should reflect on that salary before you accept it. I always recommend taking twenty-four to seventy-two hours to sit with the salary offer and really kind of analyze what you need to live within your means. If it’s a promotion within your current company or a new job elsewhere, it’s always best to reflect on what you need to live within your means prior to accepting that offer.

Prior to interviewing for a position, I would encourage people to ask or review that salary range that would be offered. So if what they’re hoping to earn fits inside that range, it’s wonderful, and they can continue to move forward. But it’s a waste of time if what they want to earn is less unless they have other strategies to up that compensation.

Mac Prichard:

So have a range in mind before you apply for a job, and make sure, if you can, that the employer’s offering that range. Sometimes as you know, Crystal, employers don’t post salary ranges, and you might not discover the figure until well along in the hiring process. Once that number is on the table, if it doesn’t match your target figure, do employers expect you to negotiate?

Crystal Granger:

Absolutely, yeah. Negotiation is definitely expected, and I recommend it, even if you are offered a salary that you’re happy with. I think that for women in the workplace, being confident in what you’re asking for is really important.

After doing some research, I came across an MPR report recently that was hosted on Equal Payday, which this year happened to be March 14, and statistics still indicate that women make 82 cents on the dollar compared to men and even less for women of color. So on March 14, the reason it was celebrated on that day this year was because of how far into the year women have to work to catch up to what their male colleagues earned in the previous year.

Mac Prichard:

You’re an HR professional, Crystal. In your experience, do you see a gender difference between how men and women approach salary negotiation?

Crystal Granger:

Absolutely. I think that men in our society are taught to have that confidence and to ask for more money naturally, and women, we have to be persuaded to ask for the money that we deserve. And so, how do we mend that gap? How do we negotiate for higher salaries?

And like you said, pay equity laws are not equal across the country yet. And so employees looking for work have a hard time figuring out what that salary range is, sometimes far along into the interview process. But with that in mind, when it does come, when the opportunity does present itself to ask for a higher number, there’s a few tips that I’d like to offer about how you can go ahead and do that confidently.

Mac Prichard:

Well, let’s talk about those tips. Once you take, I know one of the suggestions that you make is to do an analysis of what you need to survive financially. Tell us more about this, Crystal. Why is it important?

Crystal Granger:

I think that the number that a salary is offered is great. But you could actually be taking a pay cut depending on how much you might have to pay towards your benefits and your health insurance, so if you can really do an analysis of what you need to live within your means prior to accepting that, sometimes that number, sometimes you can find wiggle room in that number.

For example, if an employer decides to match your 401K contributions and the salary is a touch lower in the long run, that actually will help you more than having a slightly higher salary but no 401K contribution match.

Mac Prichard:

What elements do you recommend candidates consider when doing that analysis, Crystal? You mentioned salary, of course, and then 401K. What other parts of a compensation package should candidates think about?

Crystal Granger:

Well, I think the largest component that employers are contributing right now outside of your base salary is gonna be your health insurance. So usually, there’s an employee and an employer contribution, and I always recommend people to look and see what the employer’s contributing compared to what you would be contributing per paycheck because that number could be significant.

Outside of health insurance, there are extras. Like does your employer contribute to a dependent care account? Does it contribute to a health savings account? Does it have a 401K match? All of those things that are a part of the total compensation package should totally- you should really hone in on them during the negotiation phase. And things like paid time off. What is the accrual rate for your first year compared to your fifth year? And what does that paid time off equivalent to in dollars?

Mac Prichard:

It’s a lot of moving parts. How do you recommend putting it all together? And is it important, too, Crystal, to add a dollar value to each of these elements?

Crystal Granger:

I like to recommend, when you ask how to put it all together, starting with what you value. So if you are a post-covid Millennial, you might value working from home. You might value a better work-life balance. So all of those things you should consider and rank as you look at your overall compensation package.

So, for example, if you’re someone who likes to have more free time to do what you like in your personal time, maybe take a lesser salary, but a higher accrual rate on your vacation is worth it. Because those vacation hours turn into dollars eventually. You should be able to always get the analysis for your employer and employee contributions towards your health insurance, and all of those dollars should be counted towards your compensation.

Like I said, at some companies, you might have a higher salary range, but then you might be paying more in health care costs compared to another job where you might be paying less, and the company is paying more, and you should really create an Excel and map it all out before you accept the offers.

Mac Prichard:

I think that’s a great idea. I think some listeners might find that overwhelming, Crystal. What advice do you have for somebody who’s never done this before and is putting together that analysis and setting up that spreadsheet? What have you seen work for applicants that you’ve worked with?

Crystal Granger:

That’s a great question. I think that one thing that I’ve seen in my own community is that when someone’s offered a salary that’s maybe higher than what they were expecting, it’s very exciting, and I think my first recommendation is just to slow down and make sure that you do ask for that twenty-four to seventy-two hour grace period. And within that grace period, that’s when I would ask for the total compensation package.

So, your company should be sending you maybe a benefits guide that goes through the health insurance cost and your 401K match and your accrual rates, and you’ve given yourself twenty-four to seventy-two hours to look through those things. So if you’re new to strategically negotiating a wage, I would say give yourself the seventy-two hours so you have time to create that Excel and really write down and sift through how much you truly are being paid with all of the fringe benefits.

Mac Prichard:

Terrific. We’re gonna take a break, Crystal. Please stay with us. When we come back, Crystal Granger will continue to share her advice about how to respond to a salary offer. Stay with us.

When was the last time you updated your resume?

The experts at TopResume can help.

Go to macslist.org/topresume.

The professional writers at TopResume will review your resume for free.

Go to macslist.org/topresume.

Find out how you can update your resume on your own.

Or hire TopResume to do it for you.

Go to macslist.org/topresume.

Now, let’s get back to the show.

We’re back in the Mac’s List studio. I’m talking with Crystal Granger.

She’s the total rewards and equity manager at Bob’s Red Mill. It’s an employee-owned company that makes natural, certified organic, and gluten-free milled grain products.

Crystal joins us from Portland, Oregon.

Now, Crystal, before the break, you were sharing your tips and tricks for responding to a salary offer, and one point you made at the close of our conversation in the first segment is that you should take twenty-four to seventy-two hours to reflect on an offer. Do employers expect you to ask for that time, Crystal?

Crystal Granger:

They do. Yeah, I don’t think that any employer in 2023 expects to have an answer even by the end of the same day.

Mac Prichard:

Okay, so that gives you the time to do that analysis and talk to colleagues and perhaps mentors.

Another tip that you mentioned in passing in the first segment was the importance of showing confidence when responding to a salary offer. Tell us more about that. Why is it important to be confident when you’re talking to an employer about salary?

Crystal Granger:

I think that confidence is really exuded through communication, and in a virtual world where we are all maybe accepting offers or interviewing via the computer or over the phone, the way you communicate and the words you choose to use really can set the tone for how the employer is going to interpret your excitement for the position.

And if you can’t be in person and show confidence through body language and eye contact, I think it’s really important to be confident in how you are presenting yourself. Especially when it comes time to negotiate that salary, especially for women who haven’t had the luck of our culture to have that confidence instilled from early stages in our lives.

Mac Prichard:

You mentioned the importance of using language that conveys confidence. What kinds of phrases, in your experience, Crystal, should a listener use to show confidence? What words can make a difference?

Crystal Granger:

Absolutely. There is a great short video on LinkedIn Learning titled “Communicating With Confidence”, and I’m going to go ahead and use what I’ve learned from that video. I highly recommend people watch it themselves.

One of the tips that they share is don’t hedge a sentence by starting with things like, “I feel.” Instead, try to say, “I expect”, or “My research demonstrates.” Because women tend to already be looked at in society as people who are willing to pass the baton for their feelings, and it’s not true. It’s just it’s in our language to say, I think, I feel, more often than our counterparts.

I also would recommend not to diminish your credibility. So to avoid preambles like, “I’m not the expert, but.” And instead, really show that you are credible by using sentences like, “I am the expert in this space, and this is why I think we should go in this direction.”

Mac Prichard:

I love those tips. You also mentioned paying attention to body language, and as you mentioned, as well, many conversations are happening virtually. Do you have tips for responding to a salary offer about how to use body language, whether it’s in-person or virtually, to show that kind of confidence?

Crystal Granger:

When you are far enough in the interview process, if you get that third call, I would assume that you know that you’re going to be offered the position. And so, I would recommend making sure that you’re in an environment to take that call, and if it’s in person, wonderful. Sitting at a table accepting an offer is a lot different than being able to stand and have your shoulders back and your head held high. So I’d recommend maybe trying to do that, if it’s possible, in that in person environment.

Whereas, if you’re over the phone and you might be working from home that day, and you might be in more comfortable clothing, even standing up for that conversation totally changes the way that you are going to channel that power and that confidence through that phone call. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to be distracted during that time, and if you are feeling really giddy from the offer, you can always say, “I need a moment” during that conversation. Put yourself on mute. Do your little happy dance, and then come back a little bit less flustered and a little bit more confident to continue that conversation.

Mac Prichard:

What about the in-person meetings, Crystal? They’re still happening. What are your suggestions for body language that conveys confidence when you’re responding to a salary offer?

Crystal Granger:

Great question. I think if you are sitting across from somebody, mimicking their body language always helps. So you’re not sitting there with your legs crossed or like your elbows on the table. Definitely mirror what your interviewer is doing.

I think that, again, if you could find yourself in a standing position when you get that, you’re gonna have more confidence because you’re gonna feel like you have more power because you’re standing up. Even if that’s needing to excuse yourself for a glass of water, taking a moment in that process is gonna settle you to be more confident going into the next step, which is strategically either asking for time to think about it or asking for more money, or other fringe benefits that can increase your salary.

Mac Prichard:

We’ve talked about the steps you should take when responding to a salary offer. You set a range, ask for time, do your analysis, pay attention to your body language, and project confidence.

What about mistakes, Crystal? What mistakes have you seen candidates make when responding to salary offers?

Crystal Granger:

Well, I think the first mistake that people make is that they accept right away, and they don’t give themselves time to think about it, which employers expect you to think about it. It’s best practice to take time to think about it. And then they find themselves kind of low-balled from their colleagues when they actually enter into that work. So, mistake number one- accepting right away.

Even if you’re offered a salary that’s higher than you expected, you should still negotiate for something higher. It’s expected. And you can’t lose because the base salary is already more than you expected, even if it’s just a thousand dollars. Even if it’s just two thousand dollars, ask for more.

Another mistake I think people make is that they don’t look at the total compensation. So they get very excited about this one figure. But they don’t think about if you were previously working remotely, let’s say, in Washington, and you were making sixty thousand dollars, and you took a job where you were working in Oregon for sixty-five thousand dollars. Great.

That is a baseline salary increase, but now you’re responsible for paying Oregon state taxes, which actually could reduce your salary to even under sixty thousand dollars. So even things like that in this remote world that we find ourselves in, you’ve got to take the time to do your research to really see how that number that’s been offered is going to show up in your net pay.

Mac Prichard:

And I’m glad you brought up the point about asking for more, and even if you’re only adding a thousand or two thousand dollars to the initial offer because the salary you accept is going to affect your lifetime earnings. Isn’t it, Crystal?

Crystal Granger:

Absolutely, and I think the other mistake I feel people make is that they’re offered a salary range or a salary that’s less than what they need to survive, but they are so grateful for the opportunity.

And in those cases, I would ask them to really try to consider asking that employer for a three-month review and to see if, after three months, can I get an increase to the bottom part of this other salary range that I kind of need for my livelihood? Or to ask for a sign-on bonus or something to help contribute. Because some employers can’t do an annual salary increase, but they could do a three or five-thousand-dollar sign-on bonus. Especially in the tight job market that we find ourselves in today.

Mac Prichard:

Terrific. It’s been a great conversation, Crystal. Now, tell us, what’s next for you?

Crystal Granger:

Yeah. Well, working with the Portland Human Resource Management Association and being a Co-Director on the ED&I committee. I’m just really excited to continue that work. We, as an organization, we’re always striving to make the HR profession and HR professionals more in tune with the world today, and there are so many changes in that space.

Also, sitting on the SHRM Task Force for better workplaces for a better world. Doing that work at a higher level brings me a lot of fulfillment, and I think this year, for SHRM, you can expect some really great content to come out regarding the shift to remote work.

Mac Prichard:

Terrific. And for listeners who might not be familiar with the acronym SHRM is the Society For Human Resources Management. It’s a great organization, and I appreciate the work you’re doing with them, Crystal.

Now, I know also listeners can learn more about you by connecting with you on LinkedIn, and we’ll be sure to include your LinkedIn URL in the show notes, and as always, if they do reach out to you, I hope they’ll mention they heard you on Find Your Dream Job.

Now, Crystal, given all of the great advice you’ve shared today, what’s the one thing you want a listener to remember about the tips and tricks that you’ve shared today for responding to a salary offer?

Crystal Granger:

If they could take away one thing from the conversation is, next time they’re offered a salary, is to take the twenty-four to seventy-two hours to really reflect on it before accepting or declining.

Mac Prichard:

Make sure you never miss an episode of Find Your Dream Job.

Subscribe to our free podcast newsletter.

You’ll get information about our guests and transcripts of every show.

Go to macslist.org/newsletters.

Again, that’s macslist.org/newsletters.

Next week, our guest will be Soma Ghosh.

She’s a career adviser, a business owner, and the host of The Career Happiness Podcast.

Soma helps women who are unhappy at work find career fulfillment, and she advises parents on how to show their teenagers better career options.

Fear can take many forms when you look for work.

And it can get the best of anybody, no matter how well qualified.

Join us next Wednesday when Soma Ghosh and I talk about how to overcome your job search fears.

Until next time, thanks for letting us help you find your dream job.

This show is produced by Mac’s List.

Susan Thornton-Hough schedules our guests and writes our newsletter. Lisa Kislingbury Anderson manages our social media.

Our sound engineer is Matt Fiorillo. Ryan Morrison at Podfly Productions edits the show. Dawn Mole creates our transcripts. And our music is by Freddy Trujillo.

This is Mac Prichard. See you next week.