Negotiating Salary

[remotefuse]

I am in the process of interviewing for a RN management role, and have never had to negotiate a salary before. My biggest concern is that early on in the interview process, during the first phone interview, they asked me what I would expect as a salary. I was completely unprepared for that question, I gave them a number that I thought sounded good to me. Now looking at reviews for the company, other nurses with the same position report making 15K more than the number I gave.

Do you think they would hold me to that initial number I gave?

How/When do you think this would play out during negotiations?

Any other advice would be appreciated.

[klone, MSN, RN]

That's a tough one! Never throw out a number unless you've done your research first. I think it would be a little off-putting for them if they offer you the job based on what you said you'd accept, and then you do what they might consider a "bait and switch."

The ONLY graceful way you might be able to get out of it is if the facility has a nursing union - go to the union's website and read the current bargaining agreement. You can see the pay range for the floor nurses. If your initial quoted salary is lower than the median pay for the bedside nurses, I would use that as a bargaining chip. As a manager, you will likely be working more like 45-50+ hours/week (without additional compensation).