Negotiating Salary Professionally – Letters

Letter #1:

Thank you for extending me the offer of employment as the Director of Human Resources for the Dell Company. The opportunity to talk to you and the other executives has been enlightening and enjoyable. The company’s growth plans are exciting and challenging.

After considerable thought, I am concerned about the salary you offered. It is lower than I anticipated. Since I have had extensive experience in all aspects of the Human Resource functions (technical recruiting, compensation, employee relations, benefits administration, employment and organizational development), I feel I will be a great asset to you. My thorough knowledge of the numerous federal and state laws and regulations which affect the company will also aid you.

I do want to accept this position but feel that we need to discuss the salary further. I will call in a few days to set up an appointment with you.

Thank you again for the offer. I am sure we can reach an agreement.

Letter #2:

I appreciate your offering me the position of Section Head of Shipping at DHL. I look forward to working with you.

Unfortunately, the salary you offered me is lower than I feel I can accept. I have had eight years of experience in Shipping during which I completely redesigned my current employer’s shipping process. This saved over $200,000 in the past two years. I am confident that I can achieve significant savings for DHL with no loss of efficiency. Under these circumstances, I feel that your salary offer should be increased by 10%.

I am sure that we can come to a mutually satisfactory arrangement. I will be in Springfield next Wednesday and would like to meet with you to discuss this. I will call to arrange a time for us to meet.

Letter #3:

I was delighted to receive your offer of a position as office manager at MTN. I was very impressed by the friendly yet professional attitude of all the staff and I look forward to joining your team.

I regret to say that I was disappointed by the salary you offered. Although I have been out of the workforce for some years, I feel I am worth more than an entry-level salary. I have worked extensively on a volunteer basis on the school and community level and have held several responsible positions during this time. These include City PTA President, School Carnival Chair for two years, and Fund-raising Chair for the new library. I feel that this experience should qualify me for a salary of $30,000 per year.

I work well with people and am able to motivate those who work under my direction. I am sure that these skills will be very valuable to MTN. I would like to discuss this with you further and will call to set up an appointment.

BIZEDUCATOR