A: Your question is an easy one for me to answer.  When a candidate impresses you and you feel this is the right person for the job; then you need to view it as an investment and not a cost.  If the candidate turns out to be an exceptional hire and works at the company for many years, you will be glad you made the initial investment.  My advice would be to go ahead and hire this impressive candidate now before you lose him or her to your competitor.

To begin the negotiation process, the potential employee should research the yearly salary for people in their field, by market or region.  They should also consider the responsibilities of the new position, their individual salary history, the cost of living in the region (if relocating), the traveling involved, and the number of people for which they will be responsible.  Candidates also need to consider the total benefit package, such as insurance coverage, car allowance or company car, retirement plan, bonus potential, and other benefits.  In other words, potential employees should not look strictly at the salary, but rather, they should look at the whole compensation package.

Oftentimes I get asked, ‘if I am bilingual, should my pay be higher?’ My opinion is ‘yes’. Companies conduct business in other countries and your additional language and cultural knowledge will be beneficial while traveling, or while speaking to vendors and customers in other countries, and even with other foreign employees of the company, or with customers in your local market.  You can connect with more people and create added benefits to the company, in two languages.  Consequently you do have additional skills, and that’s why I believe that your salary should be higher.

In my opinion, companies should pay a higher salary for bilingual employees because they see the value you bring.  Keep in mind that some companies are testing new markets and becoming more multi-cultural, so they don’t know yet what someone bilingual might be worth to their company.  Sometimes you have to prove the value yourself.  In those cases, if they can reach the new market, you can justify higher pay for being a bilingual person.

Two years ago, I asked a company recruiter if they pay a higher salary to their bilingual employees, and she proudly replied “Yes, we do”. She appeared proud of her answer.  I then asked her how much more a bilingual person made in her company, and her excitement diminished.  She said: “10 percent more”. I was surprised with her answer and proceeded to push my luck a bit, and asked her “do you think that your company values the bilingual candidates enough, the ones who communicate with your newly created Latino customers?” She replied, “I’m hoping to be able to justify it more to the company, but for now, they get 10 percent.”

This story may illustrate a lack of understanding from the companies’ point of view.  My hope is that employers will come to appreciate that a bilingual employee brings additional education, culture, knowledge, and possibly other important skills; like perseverance – the perseverance and the discipline to learn two languages.

Thus far, it has been my experience that bilingual employees are dedicated, and that success matters to them.  Which are just more reasons why they deserve a higher salary.

Have any of you ever been able to successfully negotiate a higher salary because you are bilingual?