8 steps to negotiating your employee's salary

So you believe you have found the perfect candidate for the job. You're sure this person can deliver transformative results in a short amount of time. She is definitely a performer. You've decided to extend her an offer.

You crosscheck salaries on Salary.com and PayScale to make sure you deliver a package that's competitive and ready for her signature. Heck, you even feel the salary is a bit out of your comfort range, because you really want to hire this person. As far as you're concerned, the company just extended her a great offer that she couldn't possibly refuse.

And then she refuses it.

She even has the audacity to counter your offer, requesting $10,000 more in base salary. What do you do?

Sorry Recruiters! My salary history is none of your business

As you move along in your career you'll find that more and more often, the obstacles and limitations you run into are under your control. 

We can complain about the worst aspects of the working world -- and believe me, there are plenty of them and I document them in my columns -- but it is not satisfying for very long to wring our hands about the way things are.