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So you’re a recent college graduate seeking your first full time job. As such, are you willing to accept any salary that a company offers you? You’re probably excited just to be offered a job and don’t want to rock the boat, right? I bet you’re thinking to yourself that you’re in no position to negotiate a salary. Well, you’re wrong.

Most people are too afraid to negotiate their salaries and while you may feel that it won’t affect you right now (you’re just happy to have a job offer, especially in the current state of the economy), not negotiating your salary can impact your salaries in future years. Having worked alongside hundreds of graduate job seekers the most common response I get as to why a new graduate did not negotiate their salary is because they were afraid the employer might take their job offer away. I can tell you that this cannot be further from the truth. The hiring process is a long and time consuming process (also a costly process – think about how many hours go into the selection process), and a company is not going to take back their job offer because you want to negotiate your job salary. In fact, employers actually expect to negotiate salaries and as such often offer lower salaries than what they can pay for the role.

My advice is simple. Don’t wait until you have been in the job for 1 to 2 years before you ask for a pay rise. Negotiate your job offer. You have nothing to lose!

Researching is the key to negotiating:

We all want to be paid as much money as possible. This goes without saying. However, the key to negotiating is to present a valid case as to why you deserve a higher salary. Before you begin your negotiation you need to know your market value. What is the market rate for your type of position? Using online salary tools is a great way to find out what other graduates in similar roles and similar geographic areas are getting paid. This is important as comparing your salary as someone who may live in a large city to a person living in a remote area will be different. In addition to using salary tools, use your own networks, speak with people within the industry, contact your career services office at your university and search forums and blogs.

When the time comes to begin the negotiations, be confident and be prepared to justify your worth. Back up your negotiation with examples. Most importantly, just be yourself. Remember that the interview process is not just about the hiring manager finding out if you’re a good fit for their organization, but it is also about finding out if the company is a good fit for you.

Negotiating can be an uncomfortable and frightening experience, but once it’s over and you have secured a higher salary you will be smiling all the way to the bank!

For those that aren’t aware, LeBron James is a basketball player mega superstar. When superstars negotiate, they’re afforded a certain negotiation latitude. So, who can fault LeBron James for taking control of an advantage he had when negotiating? When you’re in a ‘power’ position, that’s the time to ‘push’ your agenda forward.

Most savvy negotiators know how and when to advance their negotiation position. Are you aware of the times in which you hold advantages in a negotiation, and how to utilize those advantages?

This article examines the negotiation pros and cons of what occurred when LeBron James negotiated for his freedom. In it are negotiation lessons from which you can increase your negotiation skills. By the way, don’t lynch the author for saying LeBron negotiated his freedom. By freedom, it is meant, the pursuit of his dreams.

Be Fearless:

• When you’re fearful about negotiating, think about the outcome and weigh what you seek to achieve versus settling for what you have. If the odds are in your favor to stride forward, do so. Be courageous. After all, courage is nothing more than possessing the judgment to realize that something else is more important than fear. (LeBron tossed naysayer comments to the wind in seeking the path he felt best served the outcome he sought.)

Understand the ‘value proposition’ in the negotiation:

· Sometimes, money is not the deciding factor in a negotiation. Thus, if you’re focusing on dollars to solve a negotiation problem and the other negotiator is seeking another form of resolution, chances are the negotiation will not come to fruition. When you’re at an impasse, understand the root cause of that impasse and address that point of contention. (The management of the Cavs (LeBron’s former team), thought money would be the deciding factor that would keep LeBron in Cleveland, which turned out not to be a major factor in LeBron’s decision.)

Reframe a ‘point of contention’ to one that’s more favorable to your position:

· Cav’s management shifted the inference of the conversation, related to LeBron leaving Cleveland, to one of the pain that such action would cause the city. They didn’t highlight the fact that LeBron had fulfilled his contractual agreement, and thus was ‘free’ to explore other avenues. To do so would have weakened their position, as they played to the sympathy of the public.

Consequences: There will always be consequences to the actions you take. Weigh them and proceed accordingly.

· Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and a host of former NBA (National Basketball Association) players, and non-superstars have derided LeBron’s decision to leave the Cavs. Nevertheless, LeBron, knowing the desire he had to play for a team that could win a championship has pushed all the negative rhetoric aside to follow his desires. (When you’re sure about the direction in which you’re going, go on! Since you’re the one that will have to endure the consequences, follow the path that suits your interest for the negotiation.)

Expand the scope of the negotiation:

When seeking leverage in a negotiation, consider expanding the negotiation to metaphorically include parties that will be affected by negative or positive actions, based on the outcome you seek. (i.e. The owners of the Cavs brought up the fact that Cleveland’s economy and its people would be negatively impacted, if LeBron left the team). They were attempting to make the situation affect a broader segment of people. In so doing, they wanted to increase the perceived level of pain that would be inflicted upon the people of the city.

When you negotiate, after weighing all the options of a potential outcome, if you’re prepared to incur the consequences and you wish to go forth, ‘go for it’. Do so with all the zest and zeal you can muster. Fret not about ‘what could have been’. You’re the person in charge of your destiny. If you fall short in the negotiation, just remember, sometimes, that’s the way the ball bounces… and everything will be right with the world.

The Negotiation Tips Are…

· Utilize your negotiation power when you’re powerful in a negotiation. To allow it to wane is to forgo an advantage. Even if you chose not to use it, let the other negotiator know that you realized you had an advantage and chose to forgo utilizing it. In so doing you still gain mental credit with him for having it.

· Consider ‘playing the victim’ when placed in a precarious negotiation position. The owners of the Cavs cried ‘wounded’ when LeBron was considering playing for another team. They lamented, “how could LeBron leave us after all we’ve done for him”. In a negotiation, sympathy can beget interest. Just be careful how you utilize it.

· When you negotiate, there will be times when you’ll have to lead with your head and other times when you’ll have to lead with your heart. Regardless to which you choose, do so confidently. It’s your life and not another soul can experience the sorrows and joys that you experience, except you.