4 Tips To Negotiate Your Next Dental Salary

Are you wondering how to negotiate your next dental salary? Whether you’re new to the field or experienced, it’s important to make sure you get paid what you deserve.  

Talking about money is never easy, especially when you’ve just entered a new position or field, but negotiating your salary and getting paid what you’re worth will help you in the long run. What happens if an employer or hiring manager asks for your salary requirements? Do you accept, decline, or negotiate? If you negotiate, there are certain things you need to do before you submit your counteroffer. Here are 7 tips you can use to negotiate your next dental salary. 

Research the Position

The first step to negotiation is to research the position. Researching allows you to know the salary range that you should expect from the position and the industry. You can use sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, and PayScale to find out the average salary for your job, i.e., including location,  experience, and license. For example, if you’re a dental hygienist from New York, your salary range would be between $68,000-$110,000. Someone in NYC with ten years of experience would probably make about $110,646.

It’s crucial to know the difference between the range ($90,000-100,000) and the exact number (actual pay $109,867). This will allow you to get a figure of what you’ll possibly get paid and how much your work is worth. There are other factors to consider, the location, practice, years of experience, workload, and ability to grow in the practice. Here are some more helpful hints on how to negotiate. 

Helpful Hints

Helpful Hints

• Talk to a recruiter(s): Recruiters like MEDIjobs are trained in negotiation and understand what a dental worker with your experience is worth. Connecting with a recruiter or negotiation coach about the position’s responsibilities, your experience, what you bring to the table, and your salary helps you in the long run. Plus, it’s helpful to have someone who can help you with talking points once you’re at the “negotiation table.” 
• Ask questions: Asking questions is essential during the interview, and so are they during a job offer. During negotiations, you can ask about workload, benefits, practice finance, growth in practice, and sometimes, not always, some employers have a list of salary ranges of positions in their practices. Another thing is asking others in the field or job about their salary. You can use that information to establish your negotiation agreements. 

Look For The Right Time

Timing is everything. When is the right time to negotiate your salary or a raise? Is it okay to negotiate during the interview process or during a one on meeting with your supervisor? 

It depends. There are times during the interview process where you should not ask about the salary range. During the first interview, you’re trying to get to know the practice, position, and future duties. Also, some positions usually post their salary range on the job posting and you can always research salary. If you’re working with a recruiter, you can ask about salary ranges. To be on the safe side, wait until you receive a job offer. 

For dental workers wanting to negotiate salary, when is the right time to negotiate? That depends. Some practices may have a specific raise schedule, so asking for a raise before then maybe inconvenient. You can ask during your performance review or even during a one-on-one meeting. While talking about your performance, you can bring up compensation by asking for growth experiences in the practice. 

During a one-on-meeting, you can create a cheat sheet to show your supervisor that includes the market rates for people in your position, accomplishments, testimonials from patients or coworkers; have examples of your contribution to the dental practices that puts you at that pay rate. If you’ve taken on more responsibilities at work, especially those at a higher pay grade, or received certifications that can help the practice grow, share that. 

Be Realistic, but remember to go high

When presenting your counteroffer, keep in mind that the employer may refuse to negotiate, offer lower than you asked, or rescind the offer. It’s okay to ask for a high salary, especially when you can justify your salary expectations with your experiences, education, and ability to grow with practice and increase patient retention. As you research, you’ll likely find a range for your position. The range is helpful when you’re negotiating. Remember always to bring two options to the table. You can tell one slightly higher salary first and the number you’re willing to settle for that you know you’d be okay if they negotiate down.

Helpful Hints

• Practice makes perfect: It’s essential to come in with confidence. You should always rehearse, write what you want to say, practice the conversation by yourself or others, and prep for negotiating.
• Present your offer first: Usually, employers will ask if you’re okay with the salary listed. Now, your first instinct is to say yes or your willingness to negotiate. But before you negotiate, mention your salary requirement before the employer. This allows you to control the conversation, enabling them to put their number and decide if they will accept that number. 

Don’t Be Afraid To Counter and Keep Negotiating

Suppose the hiring manager of the dental practice isn’t budging. In that case, you can continue to counter and negotiate by expressing your enthusiasm for the position and why you’re the best for the position. Why you’re worth the 64,000 a dental hygienist with your experience in XX state deserves. There are other options as well. Option One: Negotiate other benefits like flextime, vacation, overtime, paying for future training, additional responsibilities, and Option Two: The ability to transfer into another position later on. 

Finally, after you’ve agreed, be sure to get the offer and whatever you’ve negotiated in writing.  Written agreements ensure you receive your job offer, and all negotiated terms before you work. 

Negotiating is often uncomfortable but remembers that you are worth it, and it’s okay to ask for a higher salary. There are many tips that you can use when you negotiate for your next dental salary. These are just 4 tips you can use when you negotiate your dental salary. Are there other tips you can use? Have you tried these tips? Let us know in the comments below.

Check out our tips for negotiation during a job interview.