Negotiate Salary & Benefits
Good negotiation skills can offer a profound impact on your legal tech career, regardless of your skills and experience. The key is knowing your worth, the market, and the company. But you also need to draft a sound salary negotiation plan.
Know how to negotiate your salary and benefits when looking for legal tech jobs on this blog.
Legal Tech Jobs: What Should Be Included In Every Job Offer
A formal employment offer for a legal tech role should confirm all the important details of the position offered. It should include the salary, benefits, job description, amount of leave, and management structure at a minimum. You need to have all this information before you decide to accept or negotiate your acceptance of the position.
How to Negotiate Salary and Benefits in Law and Legal Technology Jobs
Now that you know what to expect in every job offer that will be presented to you through your entire legal tech career, you can effectively negotiate your salary and benefits based on your job role, job position, preferences, and other factors. Here are some tips to follow:
Find Reference Points Through Research
Job offer and its salary and benefits vary. The variations depend on factors, such as job positions, experience, region or state, and more. For this reason, you need reference points based on what you have and what you know.
To find reference points, you can utilize online tools and platforms like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, or Indeed to ensure that the job offer you have is in the salary range you can easily accept or to negotiate. Additionally, you can contact former colleagues, HR managers, and other relevant individuals to survey their opinions.
Identify If The Offer Is For A Firm or Probationary Status
Your starting job position stated on the job offer will determine your future in the company and your ability to negotiate salary and benefits as time progresses. As such, you should know if the offer you received is a probationary agreement or a firm job offer. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, so you can decide based on your legal tech career goals. To avoid any complications in the future, you can politely ask the hiring manager if the company is extending a firm job offer in the future or the position is merely probationary.
Know That Benefits And Salary Should Go Hand In Hand
Don’t be shy to ask for or negotiate extras. An acceptable or high starting salary is good, but a solid compensation package includes benefits, perks, and incentives (financial or non-financial) as well. If the hiring manager or company can’t negotiate a higher base salary, try negotiating the benefits; you can go for a higher signing bonus, financial incentives for accomplishments, more vacation days, and more. Just ensure that the benefits are in line with other law and technology jobs you’re applying for.
Speak In Specific or Exact Numbers and Demands
If you want to play the negotiation process wisely, speak confidently in specific or exact numbers and demands. Don’t provide salary ranges or examples of benefits you want to have. Speak your preferences clearly. If you give the hiring manager, ranges and “maybes”, it would sound like you’re willing to concede. And of course, most companies offering legal tech jobs will gravitate to the lowest number.
Prepare for Top Questions Related to Salary Negotiations
Since you’re negotiating your salary and benefits, the company or the hiring manager will be compelled to know the WHYs, and to see if you’re worth negotiating with based on your experience and skills. Be prepared for tough questions, and be honest and confident while answering them. Here are some salary negotiation-related questions that might come your way:
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Do you have offers from other companies offering legal tech roles?
If we decide to accept your terms, will you accept the position immediately?
Are you willing to accept the probationary period first?
Be Patient and Professionals Throughout The Negotiation Process
One of the most common mistakes professionals with legal tech careers make is accepting a job offer on the spot. If you want to negotiate, you must be patient and professional. And above all, wise. Explain to the hiring manager that you'd like to check out all the details of the job offer before making a decision, and ask if there’s a deadline you must follow.
With the deadline in mind, take the time to plan a salary negotiation strategy. Carefully consider the starting offer, the possible future offers, and the benefits. Remember to view the total compensation, not just the salary. Afterwards, get back to the hiring manager and politely and professionally state your demands or final decision.
Develop or Improve Your Negotiation Skills
If you want to bring your legal tech career to greater heights, develop or improve your negotiation skills with the help of Novum Global, a recruitment company with an e-learning platform. Novum Global empowers companies and talent in the legal technology and business of law to achieve their goals through talent acquisition services, knowledge and new skills.