Negotiating is an art.
Conventional wisdom says “stick up for number one.” “Nobody will take care of you if you don’t.” Our society sends us the message that this is the attitude we should have when we negotiate for a job. Negotiating is seen by many people as a “battle of adversaries.” Each side is out to get whatever they can.
Approaching negotiations as adversaries is generally not the best way to get the results you want. The best negotiations take place between people who have mutual respect for each other and are working together to find a result where everybody wins.
Good employers and candidates for equine employment understand that they are not the only ones that need to be happy with the employment relationship. They understand that if everyone is not happy, the relationship will break down, the employee will leave and the business will suffer.
When you negotiate, avoid ultimatums. (I need X, Y, or Z or I am not interested.) Always state your need and then ask the the other person to respond with their reactions and ideas. Tell the other person that you are as interested in a good deal for them as you are in a good deal for you. Acknowledge their needs, and tell them how you can fill them. Be confident that if your real needs are not met, the job relationship won’t last very long. Don’t accept something that you know will not work. For instance, if you are an applicant and an employer is not offering enough time off from work, tell them that you know yourself well enough to know that if you don’t get enough time off, your productivity drops. So, if you can get a little more time off, you can do a better job when you are at work.
Negotiate as collaborators not adversaries. Focus on arranging things so that everybody’s needs are met and everybody wins.
