Grad's Guide: 10 Steps to Negotiating Your First Job
Learn how to handle questions like: “What salary do you expect?” and gain the ability to calmly ask for a better compensation package.
This guide will help you avoid being part of the 78% of women and 44% of men who DO NOT negotiate their first job!
You’ll quickly learn how you can avoid leaving thousands of dollars on the table.
*All MoneyInstigator resources are created and sent as digital guides.
How it works
Going through this kit step-by-step will mean that you’ll be able to talk about your skills with more confidence and you will:
know what you should be making at a potential job
be able to talk about your strengths and weaknesses like a pro
be able to nail a job interview thanks to a great resume, Linkedin and smart body language
know how to navigate uncomfortable HR questions like “What did you make at your internship?” or “What are your salary expectations”
follow up on an interview and set yourself apart from other candidates
You won’t believe the immediate difference this kit will make to your interviewing and salary negotiating skills. A $10,000 difference in salary at your first job, can mean a difference of between $500,000 and a $1M over the course of your whole life.
Testimonials
"I have focused on my attire, my smile, and my punctuality. The one thing I haven't thought of is my worth."
Stevenson C, 32
"I loved reading this kit! It’s so informative and nicely designed. I really appreciate the sections that invite participation… Now I feel confident that I can negotiate and receive the pay I deserve"
Missy T, 28
You don’t have to negotiate your first salary alone
With the Grad’s Guide you’ll immediately start to notice the difference in your confidence levels as your research, understanding and degree of preparation shifts into high gear. This kit is an easy, smart way to step firmly into the earning years of your life.
What’s inside?
A grad’s guide to being a money instigator: 10 steps to negotiating your first job
In this 50-page kit, we’ll walk you step-by-step through the most important aspects of your next interviews, the follow-up and negotiation process.
We know this is a stressful process but with a little elbow grease you won’t settle for the first compensation package they toss your way.
Soup to nuts preparation
We’ll give you prep tips that help you:
Talk more confidently about your work-skills (even if you’ve never had a job)
Answer tough interview questions
Interview with self-assured body language
Follow up like the empowered human you are
Handle uncomfortable HR questions like “What salary do you expect?”
Ask you for a better package, more vacation days, better benefits, etc.
Research is everything
Knowing what you should be making isn’t magic. The company isn’t going to tell you the right number either. They are in business to make money, and part of that means they want to get the best employees at the best rates!
We’ll tell you where you can research salaries and exactly how to ask others what they make. HINT... it’s not: “So, what do you make a year?”
Smartsheets
Part of being a great candidate is knowing yourself and what you bring to the table. But if you’ve never had a full-time job, or you’re interviewing in the big leagues for the first time that can be challenging.
We’ve made learning how to talk about yourself, your strengths and even your weaknesses easy with our easy to fill in Smartsheets*.
*Smartsheets are like worksheets, but they’re more fun and they make you smarter!
Inspiring & fun
Job hunting is stressful. Negotiating a salary is stressful. There is a lot of stuff that can feel really overwhelming, so this kit is part how-to but also founded on inspirational and motivational thinking.
We want you to succeed. We want to more young women and young men to get the most money they can first time out of the gate. Because when we make more, we live better lives. Pay off our loans faster and can more easily give back to the rest of our communities. We believe in living well. So let’s do this!
Get your ducks in a row
From cleaning up your social media feeds, or making them very private to getting your resume working harder for you—we’ll help you nail this next career move, and potentially make the most money possible.
Don’t have a Linkedin profile yet? Not to worry. We cover that as well.
Uncomfortable HR questions
We don’t leave you high-and-dry when it comes to the tough questions. We talk you through different ways you can answer all these questions:
What did you make at your internship?
What are your salary expectations?
Can you give me a range?
And after they’ve made you an offer we’ll walk you through exactly how you can sound encouraging but also ask for a number that’s more in line with your research!
Encouraging
Almost no one likes talking about money. Its uncomfortable, but when you’ve done your research, gotten your ducks in a row, and know how to present yourself… it’s a lot easier.
We’re excited for you and want to hear how it goes!
FAQ
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We want you to succeed and we've put our heart and soul into these guides. That said no one can guarantee you anything. For that reason Money Instigator does NOT accept returns or provide exchanges or refunds for purchased digital products or publications – no exceptions. We do NOT re-issue download links after link expiration. If your download link expires, you will need to re-purchase the product for a new download link.
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Because a lot of women and some men don't negotiate their first job, the salary difference compounds over time. So instead of making $55k at your first job, you make $35. So you move to $55k for your second job instead of moving to $70k or $80k. Over the course of your life you could be missing out on $500,000 to $1M.
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When you thank the company, you're suggesting you're happy with their offer and it's possible you are not. It's best to simply respond to their offer by saying "Your offer is a solid place for us to kick things off." This type of response is encouraging, but also give you room to ask them to improve their offer.
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When you are competing against others for a position, it never heards to dot your i's and cross your t's. And one way to stand out positively is always going to be GREAT MANNERS. So by all means come across as warm and poised, and take the time to send thank you follow-ups.
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I hear you. It's really hard. I would suggest you start by taking baby steps. Start by talking to friends and family about what you paid for things. Then negotiate with vendors, and practise negotiating for things you don't really care about. It also helps to pretend you're negotiating for a friend. Many of us are fabulous negotiators for others!
Even this kind of practise can be great helping you get more comfortable. Remember, money is an abstract concept and your quality of life is really what you're negotiating for.