How to Negotiate Properly as a Developer

If you're a developer, you probably already know that the pay can be pretty good. But you could be earning a lot more if only you would learn how to negotiate properly.

Let me tell you a quick story.

I was interviewing for a job at a startup in Lagos, Nigeria. I had been working in the same place for a few years and wanted to try something new. The interview went well, and they told me they wanted to hire me. They then asked if I had any questions, to which I responded with “What is the salary range?” and they asked me "How much would you want your net pay to be?”.

I was inexperienced and desperate to get a job at that time, so I then told that my last job paid me #100K and I would love it if they could pay me #150K. I asked if there was any room for negotiation.

To this day, I still regret asking that question. Their immediate response was, “We were going to give you #120k."

It was after a while that I realized that the company paid people in that particular role #200k - 4300k but I didn't have the skill to negotiate effectively.

Here are some steps you can take to negotiate better as a developer.

Know your market value: Do some research on the going rate for developers in your area and with your skillset. The more information you have, the better your negotiating position will be.

Know what you want: That might sound obvious, but it's easy to get caught upon the moment and forget what exactly it is you're looking for. What are your bottom line requirements? What are the things you want? Make a list and keep it handy.

Make sure they want you first: You don't want to go into negotiation mode until it's clear that they like you and want to hire you – otherwise, they can easily take their offer off the table.

Be willing to walk away: If negotiations stall or hit an impasse, don't be afraid to say goodbye and look for another opportunity somewhere else. As long as you know what your market value is, there will always be other opportunities out there for someone with uour skills.

I found these points helpful. I hope you do as well.

Henry