Once you have been offered a job, you might find out that the salary isn’t exactly as much as you had expected. If you research, prepare and plead a good case, you can try to negotiate a better salary with the potential employer.  Research to see if company’s offer is competitive. By using the Bureau of Labor Statistics and professional associations in your field, you can find out if the salary being offered is within industry standards.  If you are relocating for the job, consider the cost of living in the new locale. You can use the ACCRA Cost of Living Index to find out how much your salary is worth in a specific city.

Prepare yourself to explain to the employer why you are worth a higher salary. Be specific about what you will do to increase the productivity and bottomline of the company. Submit a counter offer and shoot a little higher than you are willing to settle for. That way, you will have some room for negotiations.  If the company isn’t willing to budge on the base salary, try to work out a deal for stock options, extra vacation time, performance bonuses or other perks.  If all else fails and you really want the job, accept it under the condition that you can re-negotiate salary again in 90 days. However, don’t accept the job if the salary is so low that you will quickly become disgruntled. There are plenty of other jobs out there.