Whenever you accept a new position, whether it is at your present company or at a new one, you need to talk money.   Sometimes you can be so happy that you were offered the position that you don't even care about the money.   Believe it or not, that feeling will eventually wear off, and you'll feel much better about yourself and your position if you negotiated well for your compensation.

Other times you'll want to re-negotiate your salary include:

• When you have completed a certificate or degree program
• When you have been asked to take on additional job responsibilities
• When you have earned an industry certification
• When you are receiving your annual review
• Any time you find that your earnings are not aligned with what the market is paying for your job responsibilities

If you ask for a raise "out of the blue"  - at sometime other than those listed above - you will have a much tougher time achieving your objective.  You'll be looking for a change when the purse strings aren't open, and you won't have a marketable "event" like a new degree or certification to justify your request. Even if you convince your manager to support your request, they may have a tough time selling it to others who need to approve the increase. Make it easy on yourself and your boss - wait for a time when your chances will be better.

Make Sure Everybody Wins

Like the interview process, negotiating salary is a strange little dance with specific steps. You might think that once you have determined your market value that you would simply ask for that as your salary.  As logical as that may be, that isn't how it works.  You will ask for more than you want, and let your employer or prospective employer counter your offer with something lower.  That way everyone feels like they got a good deal.

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