After a chilling year of wage freezes and modest bonuses, prospective employees need to take a fresh approach to salary negotiations. Overly aggressive salary negotiators could end up in the cold. Keep in mind that the gentleman on the other side of the negotiating table only received half of his deserved salary increase last year and together with the rest of the company had his bonus frozen.

Employers are still willing and wanting to negotiate. No one wants to hire a new sales manager who cannot negotiate her way out of a wet paper bag. But first, do your homework. Find out not only what the starting and median salary is in your field but also research pay trends in related companies over the last two years. For a guide to starting salaries across a wide range of industries, try this.

There are lots of online salary guides and tips to help you sharpen your negotiation skills. Eschew hardball sales tactics. Seek advice that is grounded in the psychology of negotiations and focus on improving your negotiating skills in salary negotiations and beyond.

According to the annual PNC Wealth Management Survey, even the wealthy are tightening their belts. Of the Americans with $500,000 or more in investible assets surveyed, 42 percent said they had cut spending on non-essential goods and 88 percent are now focused on living “within their means.”
Negotiate for the salary you deserve while keeping the slowly recovering economy, recent pay and bonus trends and comparable job salaries in mind.