Recruiters can play a critical role in attracting and retaining top talent, often navigating the delicate process of salary negotiation. For tech recruiters, offering an attractive compensation package requires a balance between meeting company budget constraints and aligning with the expectations of highly skilled candidates. This is why it's essential to understand the tech compensation package and how to negotiate the best one.
Understanding the Tech Compensation Package
There are four common elements within most tech compensation packages:
- Base salary: The base salary is the fixed amount a person earns, typically either annually or hourly. This is usually the largest component of a compensation package.
- Performance bonuses: Companies award performance bonuses based on achievements or company performance. These can significantly boost an individual's total income.
- Equity: Businesses often offer equity as stock options or restricted stock units. With equity, the tech professional owns a part of the company. Equity is a long-term investment that can grow in value based on the company's level of success.
- Sign-on bonus: A sign-on bonus is a one-time payment offered when someone joins the company. It's an incentive companies use to encourage a candidate to accept their offer.
- Benefits: Benefits can include health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off and other perks, such as wellness programs or tuition reimbursement. All of these add value to the compensation package, but how much value depends on the circumstances. For instance, someone who plans on furthering their education will get more from a company's tuition reimbursement policy than someone without plans for additional schooling.
Researching Market Rates
Researching market rates is crucial when preparing for salary and compensation negotiations in tech roles. Understanding the typical pay for similar positions helps you set a realistic offer and avoid undervaluing the candidate. Market research also provides leverage in discussions with potential candidates, allowing you to present data to support your requests.
There are a few pieces of information to research before starting tech salary negotiations: base salary, bonuses, equity and other benefits. Use online sources to determine what professionals in similar roles earn. For an on-site job, you'll also want to learn the typical compensation package for tech jobs in your area. Tools that can aid in your research include:
- Glassdoor
- Dice Tech Salary Report
- LinkedIn Salary Insights
- Levels.fyi
- Angel List
- Comparably
- Blind
Preparing for Negotiation
Follow these steps to prepare for negotiation:
- Determine a base number. Based on your research, determine the base salary you want to offer the candidate, considering their skills, market rates and the company's budget.
- Practice negotiation tactics. Role-play different scenarios with a friend or mentor. Practice how to counteroffer, handle objections and stay confident will help you stay composed during real negotiations.
- List the benefits of perks. Create a list of the perks that come with the job and the benefits the candidate would receive. Refer to this list when negotiating as a way of promoting your organization over others.
- Line up multiple interviews. Having other candidates provides leverage. It shows candidates that your organization is in demand and a desirable place to work.
Negotiation Strategies
If you're wondering how to negotiate a tech salary and compensation package, there are a few strategies and best practices for tech job offers you can use. During the negotiation, focus on the benefits of your company. Use concrete examples to demonstrate exactly why someone should work for you.
Another common negotiation tip is to never accept the first offer. The employee may be asking for more than they're worth with the expectation that you'll negotiate it lower.
Finally, have other candidates interested in the position. If you have competing offers, you can use them as leverage to get the salary and compensation you want from your desired candidate.
Handling Specific Negotiation Scenarios
Handling specific negotiation scenarios requires tact and preparation. Here are some common situations:
- Be upfront about the initial salary offer: By disclosing the initial salary amount from your organization, you can quickly weed out those who are uninterested.
- Responding to low offers: If presented with a high offer, stay respectful: “Thank you for the offer. Based on my research and the company's current position, we are hoping for something closer to [desired range]. Is there room for adjustment?”
- Negotiating non-salary components: If the candidate is still unsure and you can't increase the base salary, focus on other areas: “Can we discuss increasing equity, performance bonuses or additional vacation time to make the offer more competitive?”
Negotiating as a Woman or Underrepresented Group in Tech
Tech recruiters can play a key role in addressing candidates' unique challenges, such as biases or the gender pay gap. Recognizing these factors, the recruiter ensures a fair and transparent process by leveraging objective market data and industry benchmarks to make data-driven, equitable offers that focus on each candidate's skills, experience, and value. In addition, many recruiters advocate for their company's involvement with professional networks like Women Who Code and Black Girls CODE, fostering a supportive environment that promotes diversity and inclusion within the tech industry.
Remote Work Considerations
With the increased prevalence of remote work, recruiters now approach salary negotiations with new considerations. For remote candidates, recruiters evaluate location-based factors, making adjustments for local cost-of-living when applicable, while keeping the candidate's contributions at the forefront of the offer. They also emphasize remote-specific benefits, such as home office stipends and flexible work hours, to enhance the remote work experience, supporting both the candidate's well-being and productivity.
Post-Negotiation Steps
After the negotiation phase, recruiters provide candidates with a comprehensive written offer that outlines details on salary, bonuses, equity, and benefits to ensure transparency and avoid misunderstandings. Once the offer is accepted, they express the company's gratitude, emphasizing excitement about the candidate's future role. This approach fosters a respectful and positive relationship from the outset, creating a welcoming and collaborative atmosphere as the new hire begins their journey with the team.
Negotiate the Tech Salary and Compensation You Deserve
With 73% of companies willing to negotiate salaries, it's vital that you know how to do so for your company. Effective negotiation can bring on new, talented team members and help propel your organization. It's not just about securing the best possible deal; it's about shaping your organization's future and setting it up for success.
Key Takeaways
- Tech compensation packages generally consist of five main elements: base salary, performance bonuses, equity, sign-on bonuses, and benefits.
- Using market data helps minimize biases and aligns offers with objective standards.
- Practice negotiation scenarios to refine communication skills and manage objections effectively.
- Be transparent with salary ranges to filter candidates who may not align with the budget.
