Associate MayJune 2015

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M AY 2 0 1 5 J U N M AY 2 0 1 5 J U N
15
Alan A. Malinchak
If you haven’t entered into a compensation
negotiation prior to their offer letter of employ-
ment, NOW and prior to signing the offer letter,
is the time to pick up the phone and ask for an
opportunity to discuss salary and compensation
packages related to the position.
Consider the receipt of their offer letter of
employment as the first, not final offer. There
are a multitude of items which can be negotiated;
below are examples of what can and should be
discussed. Know that your future employer will
almost always try to bring you in at a low base
salary – to help them meet their financial num-
bers, improve their margin, and save money to
increase net operating profit – and the base salary
is only the beginning of the items to negotiate in
a collaborative not confrontational setting.
As a former law enforcement professional
you know the value of a positive demeanor when
talking with others – that experience will pay off
nicely as you enter into conversational negotia-
tions with your future employer. Remember they
Breathe that sigh of relief, you’ve made it
and are eager to begin working in your
new career. However, since your interview and
prior to learning you have been selected, did you
engage in a conversation with your prospective
employer regarding salary, bonus structure, va-
cation/sick days, 401K, executive compensation,
and a myriad of other benefits that are available?
If you have, we trust you had sufficient advice re-
garding what was and wasn’t negotiable and you
are confident their offer letter will include all the
agreed upon compensation – good for you!
Sometimes, a prospective employer will
send an “offer letter of employment” to review,
sign and begin your next career – it’s in their best
interest. You’re excited, anxious and so ready,
but not so fast – are you prepared to negotiate
before you sign that letter. If you sign and send
that offer letter without considering items that
are open for discussion/negotiation with your
new employer – realize you may be leaving sev-
eral compensation benefits on the table – regret-
tably, benefits that are no longer available once
you have signed and on-boarded.
Negotiations: The Key to
Positioning Your Salary +
Benefits in Your Post-Law
Enforcement Career”
continued on page 16
For those who have been following this FBINAA Career Transition Series
of articles to prepare you for your next career – we are now at the stage
where you have identified a position, targeted a company, networked
with past and current professionals, completed the application, prepared
for the interview, suffered through the long wait of others being inter-
viewed and just received the call – they want to hire you!