This video, which focuses on the skills needed to successfully negotiate in
job searches/interviews, gave me lots of great tips on something that I will
need to apply to my own life once I graduate from Full Sail, and possibly even
before that date. The video focuses on four different areas. The first is to “negotiate
for a seat at the table,” meaning that you first need to schedule the interview
before anything can happen. In the video, they emphasize being creative in
presenting yourself, and also to position yourself in a way that gives you a
higher value. The second area is to “negotiate for yourself,” which means that
you need to set aside any previous frustrations with respect to your job search
and convince (or negotiate) with yourself so that you feel that you are worthy
and walk in to an interview with your head held high. The third is personal
differentiation. They emphasize challenging the interviewer in some way, either
by suggestion things to them about the company or work that you can perform,
and by asking questions. The fourth is negotiating your job package,
particularly salary. This is very tricky, as the person who mentions a number
first usually “loses” in that the next person can react to that number. If you
say a number that’s lower than the interviewer was willing to give you, he/she
will probably settle on the lower number. They stress that you need to put
yourself in the best possible position. Research the job beforehand and don’t
undersell your abilities.
Another video I watched nicely detailed plenty of general negotiation skills that I will
need to apply to my own career, and even in day-to-day exchanges. Emphasis is
put on the belief that “everything is negotiable,” meaning that you can always
ask your way to success by continually trying to reach the best deal for yourself.
For instance, if you are buying a car, it is important to try to get the
sellers to lower the price. Often, most people are willing to do so. The video
also ties in with understanding underlying interests by telling the viewer to
focus on “what you really want”. An interesting tactic was that of
“bracketing,” where you ask for double (or at least some amount more) of what
you actually want. The point is that the other negotiating side will often
attempt to dwindle that down, often reaching the number that you were trying to
obtain the entire time.
I also viewed a podcast that detailed how to come across well to those you are negotiating with. The
podcast stressed likeability, such as calling the other side “counterparty”
instead of “opponent”, as few negotiators respond well to bullying or excessive
pressure. Something I thought was interesting was the idea that you should
mimic the other person’s body language to better relate to them and give
yourself a better chance of working toward a good result. Instead of focusing
on what you want, focus on what the other side wants and how you can give it to
them, often by presenting options. If you can focus on doing this and let the
other side know that you are doing all you could to provide for their wants,
they are likely to do the same for you.
