Negotiating for SLPs
No harm in asking
I’m jealous of people who can unapologetically ask for what they deserve. I have this skewed perspective that what I’m offered is the best they can do and I should be grateful. Newsflash…. HR is not your friend and they don’t have your back. They’re employed by the employer who is trying to keep costs as low as possible. And your salary and benefits are a cost. That’s just the simple facts.
So now that that bubble is burst, let’s get on to the “how-to.” What exactly does negotiation look like? It takes many forms with many possible outcomes and I’m going to throw some ideas out there. There are no guarantees to the outcome. And there are no rules saying that you have to negotiate. You do you, boo.
First things first.. it helps to be armed with facts. Do some research on the beautiful world wide web and get a cost of living for your area. Check out ASHA’s webpage - every few years they do a survey and you can get an idea of what people are earning in certain settings, years worked, by region of the US, and full-time/part time status. The ASHA survey speaks in broad strokes, but it’s a helpful place to start. You can always reach out to SLPs you may know and ask if they can put their salary in a range for you to give you an idea of what is currently being paid to hard working SLPs. Remember - years worked, location (city/state), setting (school vs SNF), and a few other factors matter.
Another little piece of information I find helpful is to know how long the job has been posted. Two of the jobs I’ve taken have been posted for multiple months before being filled. The longer a job is open, the more they may be willing to negotiate to fill the position. Even if you’re like “I NEED this job” never let them know that. As soon as you settle for less, you’re building a pattern that will affect us all.
And here is cardinal rule number one when negotiating: it never hurts to ask. What have you got to lose by asking? Here’s my logic: what’s the worst that can happen? They say no? Well then, you’re in the exact same position as you were before. I have never heard of a scenario where someone was offered a job, they negotiated for an increase in pay and the job offer was rescinded. We live in a world where anything is possible, so there’s always a chance something crazy like that could happen, but the likelihood is so minuscule, it doesn’t even register. Besides, if they get flustered and rescind the offer because you know your worth and are negotiating, then maybe it’s not a good place to work…. Just a thought.
Another point I’d like to make is that if the offer seems low to you… say so. Don’t feel like you’ll hurt their feelings by pointing out it’s a bad offer. Take the opportunity to display the research you did before the negotiations began. Tell them that based on your research, that salary is not commiserate with the cost of living in the area for an SLP with x amount of years experience, with x certifications (LSVT, vital stim, etc.), when there are SLPs in the area making xxxx.
It’s also helpful to know what your bottom line is, and add to that number. For example, I had a recruiter/HR person ask me what salary I was interested in making since I felt theirs was too low. What I did was give a range - and they locked into the bottom number that I gave and would not budge higher than that. Lesson I learned??? NEVER GIVE YOUR LOWEST NUMBER! Give your mid-range number (or your ideal number) as the lowest you can possibly go. My reasoning for that is they may still want to low-ball you and negotiate lower…but it could still be within your acceptable range. OR, they could go with the number you gave and now you’re sitting pretty.
Honestly, I dislike negotiating as much as I dislike networking. It’s something I hoped I’d never have to do, but adulting happened and now it’s growing on me. I now view negotiating as a form of advocacy. And I’m a passionate advocate for my patients. Why wouldn’t I be one for myself as well?
I’d love to hear your stories of negotiation successes (or fails, I have a few of those too) in the comments below. Tell me what’s worked for you in the past! Or some lessons learned the hard way.