Ezequiel Cortes: I've been trying to transition from contractor to a more permanent part-time position at an art school. I know the person that hired me also wants this and I've been chasing the conversation for 4 months, with no luck. Now I don't know if I want to be working for someone that can't prioritize 30 minutes to have a conversation with me. So I hope to find the right mindset to guide this discussion during this Hot Seat.

• Ask yourself if you are fine losing the job completely if they hire somebody less at a lesser rate to know how much leverage you actually have.
• Define your floor before negotiating. Know the absolute minimum you can accept before the conversation starts pulling you toward compromises.
• Negotiate to protect your hourly value, even if hours shrink. Fewer hours can feel temporary while lowering your rate quietly rewrites what people think your expertise is worth.
• Watch for red flags hidden inside “opportunities.” Waiting four months for a 30-minute conversation tells you how decisions and people are prioritized behind the scenes.
• Have a significant ceiling rate where you can start negotiating and meet somewhere in the middle considering your floor rates in mind.

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