Negotiating Salary

Tips
Discover what you're worth by researching salary surveys for your occupation, experience and location.
Research the company to see if they're booming or hurting financially. If booming, go for top salary, benefits and perks. If not, get what you can comfortably live on, but think twice about working there.

Also research yourself so you can sell your skills, talents, accomplishments, work ethics and experience for top pay.
Politely sidestep salary (say it's negotiable, open or competitive) until you're confident they want to hire you. Then you have leverage.
When asked point-blank about salary, counter by asking what the range is, so you know the boundaries.
Command rather than demand, while working toward a win-win situation.
Be eager and enthusiastic, but willing to walk away if you've reached an unsatisfactory negotiating ceiling. Don't burn your bridges, but rather politely decline the offer.
Even if you get what you want, wait to accept
 for a day or two to think it over, time permitting.
More Tips:
Never lie about past salary. Reference checks might expose you.
Consider the value of benefits and perks too, such as stock options, bonuses, telecommuting options, and promotion potential.
Ask about extra benefits and perks, so it appears that you are compromising if you don't get them, or attempt to trade them for a higher salary.

Another Way to Explain Negotiating Salaries (PayScale):
*from Laura DeCarlo, Executive Director of Career Directors International in Melbourne, Fla.
1. Do your homework. This includes researching the current market value for the position and carrying that knowledge with you into the talks. Creating a PayScale Salary Profile and keeping it updated helps you to always know the median value for your skill set. Learn how to negotiate salary from a position strength by having the most current salary information for your job.

2. Know your needs and wants. "You have a range in mind of what you'd really like. Otherwise, if you are out in left field-you are never going to be successful. [For example] a woman who wants to make $55,000 a year and decides she's changing careers and wants to be a typist-I don't know many $55,000-a-year typists," DeCarlo said.

3. Learn a methodology for handling the questions, "What are you looking for?" and "What kind of salary do you want?" According to DeCarlo, the bottom line is, "I'm negotiable." If it's too soon to talk about money, she encourages applicants to change the discussion topic to job requirements or expectations. Learn how to negotiate salary by being prepared for salary questions during the interview.

4. Know your options and ask, ask, ask. Be familiar with possible perks and benefits, and ways to increase your salary; brainstorming and making lists can be useful here. "I've seen people turn it into mileage allowances for driving. Anything is potentially negotiable unless you don't ask about it," she said.

5. Always negotiate in person. "You can't read an expression, show a presentation, or have convincing reasons quite as well on the phone as you can when you engage them [employers] face-to-face," DeCarlo said. Learning how to negotiate salary in person is a key to higher earnings.