Salary Negotiations - What To Do If Your Job Offer Has A Low Salary Range

With a lower salary range than what your finalist might expect, strategic hiring managers lay out a compelling case for the college and the opportunity, as well as setting an appropriate salary expectation throughout the process. Implementing a few of the following tips will greatly increase your odds of successfully negotiating a salary and filling your higher career openings with great faculty and staff.

1. Determining if the salary offer is high, average or low — visit Inside Higher Ed Career’s AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey.

   For free, Inside Higher Ed Careers’ job seekers portal offers the annual AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey, the largest independent source of data on full-time faculty salary and benefits at two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States. Within minutes, you can see what competitor schools are offering in terms of salary and gain a much better understanding of where your offer will likely compare with others.

2. Ask about salary requirements early in the interview process.
   If the candidate is looking for a salary that is way above what you are offering, it is better to stop the conversation sooner than later. Try to talk with candidates who would potentially accept your offer and who are not solely motivated to meet a certain salary target that is above what you can offer.

3. From the start, have a clear salary range and description for the position.
   The more 'preferred' skills and experience you add to a job description, the broader and more experienced applicant you are likely to receive. By keeping the job description reflective of the skills and experience you need for that person to be effective in the position, you can limit the number of over-qualified individuals from applying and keep salary expectations in line with the role.

4. Promote non-salary benefits often.
   Throughout the interview process highlight the non-salary benefits your institution offers: leave policy, professional development opportunities, work/life balance, innovative work practices, facilities, school culture, parking or public transportation and more. Don't wait for the negotiation -- build a broad case for the institution early and get your candidate thinking beyond the dollar bottom line when the time comes to talking about the salary.

5. Finally, build relationships.
   People want to work with people they respect and can get along with. Spend time meeting with the candidate and introducing them to potential colleagues, mentors and students. The more they fall in love with the institution's people and culture, the easier it might be for them to lower their salary expectations in order to work at a place that aligns with their goal work environment.

Apply one or more of these tips to more effectively negotiate salaries with higher ed faculty and staff.