Candidate questions you have to ask: 6 things to negotiate in addition to salary

From the perspective of the hallowed halls of HR and recruiting, salary negotiations are synonymous with job offers. You get a job offer and the first thing you want to do is negotiate. If the mere thought of it makes you anxious, look at it this way and reframe your thoughts — employers actually expect you to negotiate. They actually find it more odd when you don’t negotiate, so go ahead and speak up by asking for more pay! (And don’t forget these tips when you do.)

A great way to make your job offer truly sparkle is by negotiating your package with more than money. After inquiring about flexibility with salary, start going after some bells and whistles.

As a former recruiter, I’ve seen all of the items below successfully negotiated. Not all at once though, so don’t ask for every single item on this list right away. Decide what’s most important and focus on two or three items.

1. Sign-on bonus. I’ve extended sign-on bonuses over the years ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 (yes, $30K!) depending on the role. Hiring managers often have more flexibility approving bonuses if their budgets allow, because one-time payments won’t disrupt equity within their group.

   For instance, if your request for a higher salary was approved by an additional $5,000 but not by an additional $10,000 because that would put you high in the range for that position and pay band, that’s all the more reason to ask for a one-time $5,000 sign-on bonus. It sweetens the deal.

   You should always negotiate a higher salary first because your salary increases the next year and each subsequent year will be based on your salary alone. Whether you get a sign-on bonus of $5,000 or even $20,000, next year during salary review your new salary will be a percentage increase from your current salary, excluding that one-time bonus.

   Note: depending on the organization, typically it’s paid within 30 to 90 days of your start date.

2. Title. Smaller organizations may have more freedom to alter your title than larger organizations with more layers of approvals. Maybe you’re re-entering the workforce. Say you left as an account director and now you’d like to re-launch your career with a title of managing director.

   Think about a title that’s relevant to the job and specifically ask for it. Instead of saying, “Can the title be changed?” you should ask, “Can the title be changed to [insert proposed title here]?”

3. Vacation time. The key to asking for these add-ons is not being overzealous; instead of asking for an additional month which may immediately get rejected, in a tactful manner ask for an additional five days.

   Here’s an example: “At my current company, I receive 25 personal days per year — going down to 15 will be challenging. I’m getting married next year, plus I have relatives living in Greece who I visit every other year. Is there any flexibility — maybe 20 days per year?”

   The hiring manager may negotiate, too. Perhaps she or he will approve 20 days the first two years. By the third year the employer’s policy may increase, so you’ll earn 18 days off instead of 15. So, dropping from 20 to 18 during the third year won’t make a significant impact.

4. Flexible work arrangements. Maybe you’d like to work from home two days each week. Maybe you’d like to get reimbursed for expenses relating to your home office. Get specific with your ideal arrangement and inquire further.

5. Tuition reimbursement. I’ve worked for companies with strict tuition reimbursement policies and on a case-by-case basis, hiring managers approved one-off work-related tuition costs outside the policy. Programs didn’t have to be a formal MBA or graduate level program. In some instances it was an online class; in other instances it was a certificate program.

6. Commuting reimbursement. Perhaps commuting costs are going to be expensive. I’ve rarely seen this cost get approved but it has been done. Or, factor this into your salary negotiating power by asking for an additional gross amount of $5,000 by saying it’s to help cover the costs of gas and tolls.