The topic I enjoyed learning about the most throughout this course was the negotiating process. I enjoyed all of the real-world scenarios presented and how they put into perspective how much the applicant has control of when it comes to accepting an offer. What I mean by that is the employer often will improve on compensation, perks, etc. in order to gain you as an employee. A statement made in the introduction to the week nine required readings really stuck out to me as I was going back through the lectures. The statement is as follows: “ The first is just how hard organizations will work to get the person they want. When you have a job offer in hand, you, as an applicant, now have significantly expanded power in the staffing process. Don’t ever forget that, and don’t give that power up lightly,” (Canvas, week 9). I agree, knowing your worth and not settling for less than you believe you deserve is a key component to being where you want to be in your professional career.
One of my favorite elective classes I’ve taken in the College of Business has got to be Compensation Management, which talks a lot about negotiating as well. Building off the knowledge from that class taken previously, I had a decent understanding of the process which made it more interesting to me as well. Before learning more about this topic I had the misconception that you only got to negotiate the salary portion of a job offer. I now know you can negotiate almost anything from insurance coverage, getting a company car, or working from home part of the time. A main takeaway from this lesson was having confidence in yourself and where you see yourself at a company helps you go into a job negotiation more level-headed and prepared.
