If you are negotiating pay — for a new job or an annual review — you might have more leeway than you think in this tight job market.
But even in highly competitive D.C., not every professional in one of those positions is negotiating pay.
A survey by the placement firm Robert Half found 48% of workers based in D.C. negotiated their salary with their last job offer. That is down from the same survey in 2019, which found 57% said they negotiated pay with their last job offer.
The decline might be more of a reflection of employers in the D.C. region responding to the tight job market and talent shortage for the positions they have to fill.
“Here is the interesting part. For those who didn’t negotiate in D.C., 65% said they didn’t need to because they were happy with the salary that was offered to them,” Beth Sears at Robert Half’s D.C. office told WTOP.
“Companies in the D.C. area are really starting to realize the current competitive job market.”
D.C.-area professionals aren’t shy about negotiating compensation when they feel they need to. Only 12% in the Robert Half survey said they would be uncomfortable negotiating.
If you do negotiate, be confident, but not overconfident.
“Playing games — nobody likes games. Tactics like misleading a prospective employer about what your current salary is or what past salaries have been will always backfire. And be wary of giving ultimatums,” Sears said.
Before entering compensation negotiation, know what you are actually worth. There are many salary by city and profession comparison sites.
