How to negotiate the highest salary in the range

If you want to negotiate the highest salary in the range for the jobs you're pursuing, and if you want to be the professional with the $15,000-$30,000 salary increase, this post will show you how to make it happen.

1. Research the companies that are currently offering the highest salaries for your target job titles within your desired industry or niche. Start with Glassdoor to see what salaries are being reported by employees. Dig into company job postings for compensation numbers. Find as much proof as possible that these salaries represent what's being offered by these companies today.

2. Look up the employees of these companies on LinkedIn. Do a search for the job title and company name, and a handful of employees should appear. Some of these employees will have their profiles set to private, but others should have open profiles that you can visit.

3. Ask yourself the first fundamental question of this exercise: What experience, capabilities, or qualifications do these employees have that you are currently lacking? Write all of it down: project scopes, programs, capital management, clientele, accomplishments, awards, high-touch interpersonal skills, exposure to certain circles, etc.

4. Ask yourself the second fundamental question of this exercise: How can you reverse-engineer their experience, capabilities, or qualifications? What do you need to do, or who do you need to become, to sit at the desks of these well-paid employees? Is it possible that you're more qualified for their jobs than you originally thought?

5. Begin the task of positioning your business value in alignment with the narratives you've been researching. This will be a time-consuming, nit-picky task that will teach you more about corporate strategy and org development than you've ever learned. It might even change the way you look at your career.

6. While positioning your business value, look for opportunities to fill in any gaps. Do you need to sign up for specialized training? Do you need to network with a particular group of professionals? Do you need to volunteer for special projects, or introduce initiatives at your company to gain experience, or seek out mentorship?

7. When applying for jobs, make sure that you present yourself as someone to be taken seriously. I've seen individuals with impressive backgrounds miss out on interviews because their applications and resumes looked amateur, like they were lacking in confidence. Fill out your applications with care. Use clean-looking resume templates. Write like you're in control of your destiny.

8. Ask for the highest salary in the range upfront. Don't be coy or apologetic when asking. Don't play any games. Let your recruiter or hiring manager know from the beginning that you are going for the top salary, and don't try to justify the number with long-winded, position-draining explanations. Let your resume and application do the talking for you. If you have communicated your business value in a way that reflects the business values of the top professionals in your sphere, explanations will never be necessary.

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