Matthias Schranner is one of the world’s leading negotiation specialists. In his «Schranner Concept», he comes to conclusions that are similar to what I advise highly qualified applicants to do when looking for a job. If you have so far only perceived the salary question in the application as a negotiation, I advise you to rethink the application process.
When asked what is decisive for success when preparing for a negotiation, many people would probably answer: «It’s about correctly assessing the negotiating position of my counterpart so that I can align my strategy accordingly». Schranner has a clear opinion on this: Don’t worry about your negotiating partner’s position at all! I was surprised by the absoluteness of this statement, even though I give many of my clients the same advice when applying for jobs; more on this later. How did he come to this clear statement?
We don’t know what moves others
Matthias Schranner negotiates internationally in both business and political environments and explains his recommendation as a consequence of modern times: it has become impossible to formulate realistic hypotheses about the position of negotiating partners. People’s values differ considerably. In addition, different cultures and mentalities are increasingly involved in negotiations. It is therefore important to focus on one’s own position and personal needs and to define the room for manoeuvre to be able to react to different developments in the negotiation.
Can these findings be applied to job applications?
Concentrate on yourself
Yes – at least for highly qualified and sought-after applicants. One of the most frequently asked questions from my coachees about their application is what companies expect from them. Strictly speaking, the question means: How would the company like me to be? Answer: We can’t know.
Imagine the following situation: An introverted woman applies for a sales position. Now, according to an outdated sales stereotype, she assumes that the company would prefer an extraverted person. So she presents herself as extraverted during the interview in order to be considered. Tough luck: the company is looking for a calm person for its solution sales who is a good listener and can also anticipate unspoken customer needs. But regardless of whether they were right with their hypothesis: If the company is looking for a different personality, then the applicant must not have the job.
Focus on who you are, what is important to you and go into the discussion with that in mind. There is usually a lot of room for negotiation on both sides. And if you can’t reach an agreement with your offer and your personality within this framework, there is still the option in every negotiation: break off negotiations due to a lack of agreement.