Goal 5 Nurse Salary Negotiation: Negotiate counteroffers

Nurse salary negotiation includes counteroffering to achieve your absolute best deal.

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Hello! I'm happy you're here! If you're new to this nurse's negotiation series, I recommend starting from the beginning to get the inspiration and motivation you need to make the most out of your future negotiation. ​​

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We will all have different targets in our salary negotiations and it’s during the counteroffer that you’ll bring more of these in. It’s perfectly ok to ask for the things that are important to you in order to create your preferred work-life balance. Dollars are not the only thing that matter. What I’m saying here is that there’s no right or wrong. There’s only what works best for you.

In Goal 1 you set your dollar amount, but here in Goal 5, it’s time to think about what you are willing to exchange in lieu of money. So before you make any serious counteroffer, let’s give this some thought so you will have some notes jotted out and ready to reference when the time comes. 

Depending on your type of job, your counteroffer requests will vary widely. Some examples of things that will be important to you might include a guarantee of day shift, 4 weeks uninterrupted paid time off each year, scheduling flexibility, company car, travel expense reimbursement, work from home opportunities, or the ability to come in late or leave early to work around your children’s school schedules. Depending on what type of job you have you will know what kinds of requests make sense and might be possible. You will have to decide how much you are willing to flex on salary to receive those. But be very careful: whatever salary you eventually agree to, you will be tied to it in perpetuity because all future pay increases will be based on your agreed upon starting rate.

But be very careful to not give too much away in your counteroffer. Whatever salary you eventually agree to, you will be tied to it in perpetuity because all future pay increases will be based on your agreed upon starting rate.

For me personally, I know that for a job to be a good fit I require scheduling flexibility, and uninterrupted paid time off that I can take when it suits my schedule. I am willing to sacrifice a lot in dollar amount for those two things. However, I still have a minimum that I’m willing to exchange my time for, and that’s an amount that permits me to pay my bills, of course, and save enough to bring my adventure dreams to life.

Now that I’m in my 40s, and not feeling the desperation of accepting any old job for money, I’ve grown in my negotiation confidence. If you aren’t yet feeling the flexibility that financial security brings, I have good news for you. As a nurse, there are soooooo many jobs available to you. Don’t get stuck in something that’s making you miserable or that’s not paying you what you think your time is worth. Make a change and do it now.

As a nurse, there are soooooo many jobs available to you. Don’t get stuck in something that’s making you miserable or that’s not paying you what you think your time is worth. Make a change and do it now.

These 5 Goals of Nurse Salary Negotiation work. My hope for you is that you will use this in your next salary negotiation to get the most compensation possible out of your employment financial or otherwise. Get additional support by joining our supportive, private NIFW group on Facebook. Here you will meet nurses who are maximizing their wealth and ready to give you a cheer along your negotiating journey. 
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In this series, we're working on 5 goals:

1. Ask for financial compensation that you feel is worthy of your time and skills 
2. Know what the going rate is for your skills
3. Show up to an interview prepared with a salary number that is higher than an organization will offer (but it should still be fair!)
4. Emotionlessly negotiate
5. You're here --> Make your counteroffer

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Angel Mathis, MN, MPH, ARNP, FNP-BC

Hi! I'm Angel. I am the founder of Nurses Investing For Wealth. I teach nurses simple money tactics that turn them into millionaires. This is where you learn how to use your nursing knowledge to invest your money better than an expert.

If you want to end money confusion, be unstuck from nursing, and create financial freedom, come join my Tiny Training Nurse Investing Series.

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