There are only a few things that we do on occasion that can have deepest impacts on every facet of our lives. All involve negotiation. Are you buying a car? Are you buying a house? Are you wooing a potential partner or spouse?

Chances are you’ve spent more time preparing for those big moments than you have getting ready to duke it out on the salary negotiation mat with a prospective employer.

Coming to an agreement on salary is nerve-wracking, yet so much is at stake. Why is that we spend more time investigating and preparing for the other decisions in our life and hardly any time on how we are going to negotiate our way into a salary level that will provide better financial security and job satisfaction that we are getting compensated for the value of our work?

Take the time to do your research and be knowledgeable of what an industry-competitive offer contains. This information can be tremendously empowering when negotiations turn serious.