In this episode, The Team covers salary negotiating techniques, cost of living considerations, and how to calculate how much you should ask for when negotiating your salary for a graphic design job!

Show Notes:

Negotiate a SalaryKnow your worth

• Track all your expenses for a month:
• Needs: Rent, gas, insurance, bills, etc. 
• Wants: Dinner, dates, going out, Netflix subscription, clothes, etc. 
• Saving: Are you saving? 
• - now multiply each of those by 12 and add up = yearly expenses. 
• - If everything you do is $1,800 a month, you can live as a cheap college student in Oxford for $21,600. 
• - Say you take a $35,000 salary, removing expenses, you have an extra $13,400/year which is $1,116 a month. 
• --- consider student debt payments, things your parents will make you pay for once you have a job, 
• ---all of this is before taxes: that's a lot of your money based on state and federal taxes. 
• ---Nothing will be as cheap as it is in Oxford. 

Set up a realistic budget for your living expenses (50/30/20 rule)

• https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator
• 50% - NEEDS: Bills, expenses, groceries, student loan bills, etc. 
• 30% - WANTS: Discretionary spending
• 20% - SAVING: This is anything towards your longer-term financial goals and things like your 401k/IRA (retirement plan)

Do your homework:

• Find the salary range for your job title
• Payscale.com, Salary.com, AIGA’s salary data, Glassdoor
• https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job
• https://www.creativecircle.com/salary-guide/?utm_source=DSMN8&utm_medium=LinkedIn
• Identify a target salary in the 25-50% for your area
• (compare that range to your living expenses)
• Set a bolstering rage (top dollar) that is 20% higher than target
• Set a resistance point (bottom dollar) that fits within your budget

Other things to consider:

• Factor in benefits value: what would sweeten the deal?
• PTO (paid time off, aka vacation days) 

Negotiate a Salary: Tips and Tricks 

In an interview:

• They put a number out: Ask to hear more about the position before giving a firm answer
• They ask YOU what you’re looking to make, or ask for a range: bring in your research! This city, this position, with my skills, make xyz. I’m looking to make close to xyz
• NO RANGE 

Host, Producer, & Editor - Mark Cela
Host, Director, & Script Writer - Kristen Pericleous
Host, Social Media Manager, Social Media Content Creator, & Editor - Dan Lawson
Host, Website Director - Lauren DeMarks