Customer Reviews

Get More Money on Your Next Job... in Any Economy

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When a company makes a job offer, far too many potential employees believe that they can either accept or reject the offer. Most people do not realize the number of potential points a company is willing to negotiate.

Starting salary is not the only or in some cases the major issue that should be of major concern to the potential hire. In addition to salary there these issues to negotiate: Annual bonus, signing bonus, severance pay, stock or other equity type compensation, relocation assistance and in some cases your immediate boss.

A lot of people look on finding a new job as the company doing them a favor and are reluctant to even consider open negotiations. Lee Miller has written an excellent resource for most people who are contemplating changing jobs. He not only tells you what to negotiate but tells you how and when to bring up certain points. He also points out that negotiating with your future employer is a lot different that negotiating for a new house or car.

When you are negotiating with your future boss, you must keep in mind that your tactics or stance can have a serious and long term impact on your future relationship with your boss. So your negotiating stance must be different.

The book is filled with real life examples to illustrate each principle. The book gives you 11 commandments of employment negotiations and then gives "25 proven strategies for getting more money, better benefits and greater job security." At the end of each chapter is a summary of the points covered.

The book is based on Lee's extensive experience as a human resources VP, his work in labor law and as a career coach. He is also a college professor. So the book is not just theory but what works in the real world.

The book will probably not be of much value to government and entry level employees. Even if you are seeking an entry level position, there are a couple of examples where the job candidates, one his own, negotiated and got important concessions from the employer.

The higher up the ladder you go, the more important these concepts are. And there is a separate chapter for women who seem more reluctant to look out for their own best self-interest.

If you are or will be changing jobs in the future, read this book and keep it handy as a reference when the time comes. It will be well worth the time and energy you invest in reading it.

Nowadays, I hear from friends who are seeking work, that they are being "lowballed" at the end of the hiring negotiation. This can be a downward spiral, as when you change jobs, the negotiation often starts "well you only earns "X" on your last position..."

There are many ways given in the book to negotiate a fair salary, including taking a lower offer than desired but negotiating a bonus based on your ability to do something unique, such as provide cost-savings. (Get it in writing, need I say, if you are negotiating terms when being hired.) The author categorically states that you should never take a lower offer than your last job, and truly, HR departments do look for a pattern of RISING income.

There are hints for maximizing job security --dealing with the issues of when and how you can be terminated and a bail-out plan (get it in writing....) and great hints for how to negotiate in general and keeping control of the timetable.

Essential reading.

For you, and me, this book is just in time!

Harvard-trained attorney and Fortune 500 HR Executive, Lee E. Miller, has written the book all of us--regardless of whether we're unemployed, employed and looking, recent college graduate, etc.--should read and keep at the ready.

In a direct, practical & engaging manner, Miller equips the reader with the special knowledge to negotiate the "total compensation package" we desire. He reveals how to turn frustration into fungible compensation. How to create leverage when we feel we're at a disadvantage. How to focus our preparation, gain an understanding of what to expect, and use that special knowledge to influence compensation negotiation in favorable ways.

He also reveals common mistakes that we've all made, and should avoid, which have sapped--literally--millions from our net worth.

By the time you've read the first 14 pages of this book, it will be clear: compensation negotiation is not something we have properly learned, practice, prepare for, or have perfected. Be sure to read the chapter on page 27 ("Beyond Research") in which Miller lays out ways to offset the disequilibrium between employer and employee. Are you--like me--flummoxed when asked "What's your current salary?" See the first of Miller's 25 strategies (p. 52). Strategies 4 & 5 combine to build the value of the position (and your incumbency) in the mind of the employer...which translates to higher-valued compensation packages.

As a Technology Executive with a decades-spanning career, I can say without hyperbole: had Miller published this book earlier in my career, it would have meant millions to me. It will for you too.