Get the Salary You Deserve

When you seek an improved salary, you are doing so to improve your lot in life. That is why you need to let salary negotiations work for you as opposed to working against you.

Far too often, people will go into a salary interview without really taking the clear steps to understand the interviewer's body language. This can lay the foundation for a lot of problems. Also, I should point out that the type of body language that you, yourself, display during the salary negotiations will often play a major role in whether or not you will get that raise you seek. So, let's look at a number of basic body language components you will need to embody when venturing into salary negotiations:

When you walk in the door of the office to negotiate salary, the first thing people will notice is your body language. You definitely do not want to have your body give the impression of being stressed or nervous. If you are nervous on a simple interview, why would you be worth the premium pay? These are the thoughts that run through the interviewer's head whether fair or not. So, you need to walk through that door in a manner that works to your advantage.

Here are some helpful body language points that will improve your chances from the outset: keep your shoulders up and back, smiling, and maintain an open body posture. This will present you as upbeat and enthusiastic about the job.

Enthusiasm also translates into motivation and that is another major plus. So, always show confidence and open body postures as they will help you. However, dominant body postures such as hands on hips or, worse, thumbs in the pocket should be avoided. Such postures display arrogance, overconfidence, and dismissive behaviors. Certainly, that is not what you want to embody when looking for a boost in salary.

When you are seated during the negotiation process, keep your shoulders up. When the person is speaking, you can lean forward as this will show interest. You can also put one hand under your chin to show interest and contemplation. All of these postures will add to the ability to present enthusiasm. It also makes you look like someone that is confident enough to land a job anywhere. That puts you in a much better position to negotiate.

Examining the body language of the person conducting the negotiations on the company's behalf is vital as well. Is the person upbeat and positive? Or, is the person presenting downbeat postures. Does the person try to stare through you, keep his arms folded, or presents false facial expressions designed to feign interest. While there is no standard way of reversing such problems, the mere fact that you know that the issue exists can allow you to deal with the scenario. As the saying goes, to be forewarned is to be forewarned.

It may take quite a bit of time to develop body language interpretation and development skills. As such, you cannot rely exclusively on job interviews and salary negotiations to learn about body language.

You will need to do what is necessary to learn as much about body language as possible in your daily life. That means you need to pay attention to your own body language at all times while also trying to learn as much as you can about other people's body language.

It is as simple as that.

This is a guest post made by a friend of mine who has created a great website about body language. For more information on body language check out Simply Body Language - Body Language without the Psycho Babble. Or check out Body Language Blog