Over the last three months, an average of 20,000 Americans have lost their job each day. In these times, if you are lucky enough to get a job offer, shouldn’t you just take what you are offered?

Absolutely not!  Even in tough times, most companies expect you to negotiate.  They won’t show their eagerness to negotiate.  After all, they are hoping that you will accept their first offer.  You need to watch for subtle signals that hiring managers are open to negotiation.  For example, many managers may say “why don’t you look over the offer and call me if you have any questions”.  This is an invitation to negotiate.  It is acceptable to ask the manager whether parts of the contract are negotiable.  They may not give a resounding “yes” but will ask you what you had in mind (another invitation) or state what isn’t negotiable “we don’t negotiate salary”.

Especially in hard times, negotiating non-salary compensation is a great way to increase the value of a compensation package.  Some items that employers may be particularly amenable to negotiating in tough times include:

• Vacation, sick days, personal days
• Maternity / family leave
• Flex-time
• Professional training
• Job sharing
• Start date
• Frequent flier miles
• Stock options
• Performance bonuses
• Accelerated review time with potential salary increase
• Job duties

The most important thing you can do prior to negotiating any part of your offered compensation package is research.  What you earned in your last job may no longer be relevant during a recession.  Visit salary.com to see how your offer compares with others in similar industries / positions.  Call competitor companies and ask about their salary structures and ranges.  Talk to friends and friends of friends.  Try to get a sense of how many people were vying for the position you are being offered.  Uncover what other recent offers have been made in similar industries / positions.  Knowing what you should realistically aim for is the most important starting point of any negotiation.

Some other resources on Negotiating in tough times:

• 7 Tips for Negotiating Your Salary in a Troubled Economy (PayScale for Yahoo)
• How to Handle Salary Requirements When Applying for a Job (The Salary Reporter)
• Does Your Salary History Really Matter to a Future Employer? (The Salary Reporter)

To learn more, we invite you to attend our two day UC Berkeley Center for Executive Education Negotiation program