10 Negotiation Secrets: how to get the best deal from a Dean

You may well find yourself negotiating jobs, pay and conditions with a Dean. These negotiations are now common in a competitive marketplace in which both the best jobs and the best talent are highly sought after. So these are the 10 negotiation secrets of a Dean. Just so you know, there is an eleventh that I have reserved for my own personal use.

Deans do not like negotiation. They are rarely trained for it and their background as academics and scholars make it, for the most part, an uncomfortable process. They will aim to get it over with as soon as possible, one way or another. You need to understand this, particularly if you are one of those unusual people who do enjoy it.  

Do not negotiate a deal for a job you will not accept if offered to you. Remember that you may need these relationships in the future. The academic community is small and impressions once formed are lasting. Oh ... and do not negotiate a deal for a job that you have not agreed with your partner that you can take ... yes ... it happens a lot. 

Do not string out your negotiation. Attitudes harden and delays will cause the university to contemplate other options. Unusually for a negotiation, your position is often strongest close to the point that you receive an indication of willingness to make an offer. If given a strict time limit adhere to it or explain openly and honestly and at the outset why it will not work for you. Of course, do not be rushed into making poor quality decisions. 

Think long- term. Your job is not about the first year or two. In an academic setting you may see out a large part of your career in this place. Work out what will accelerate your career development and enhance your long-term advantage. Take into account  work conditions such as pensions, support for families even if they do not seem important to you right now. 

You want to work where you are wanted. If you are treated poorly in negotiation this may give you a strong indications. Look for honesty, openness and flexibility. Do not however assume that the conditions will reflect precisely the extent to which you are wanted. Counterintuitive though it may appear the willingness to pay more might not reflect the value attached  to you as a potential employee. 

Remember you have a stake in an institution you are going to work for. Negotiating an uncomfortable deal from a position of strength and insisting on conspicuous advantages not enjoyed by others will not rebound to your own interests when you are part of that institution. 

You are a big long-term investment for the university. Any requests you make when you join are likely to pale into insignificance when set against this. It is massively in the institutions interest that you are able to do the job effectively and that you are productive from the get-go. This creates an alignment of interests: explain what you require in these terms and as a means for ensuring that the university investment will be more rapidly and dependably recouped. 

Prioritise. There are some important things and some less important things. Know what you want and what you need. If you find yourself having to decide between options make sure you understand the criteria you are going to use (though your 'gut feeling' may be the best guide). Remember if you have competing offers and it is difficult to decide between them that is probably because they are close and whatever decision you make will likely be the right one. 

Ask for what it is easy to give. It may be that a tapered teaching load is easy to grant, it may be that capital equipment is easier to support, it may be that a forward commitment on research studentships is readily available, or not, of course. Be sensitive to what, in the immediate financial and operational context can be easily bestowed. This demands gathering intelligence, hopefully you have friends and informants who can help you prepare. Clearly it is easier for a Dean to give what they have given before to others. It would be good to know this. 

Know the market. Broad market intelligence is extremely valuable and you should know what competitors are paying and what they offer their staff in terms of support. You should have a good understanding of whether your particular specialisation is in shortage demand, or in ample supply. You should have tracked the recruitment at your 'target' institutions and ideally know something about how the particular roles have come about. It would be valuable to understand the big picture of university finance and trends, not least in your longer term interests.