You've been job hunting tirelessly and you finally found something. A company called you up and offered you a new job. Great! Good luck on your first day! Wait, let's back up a minute.

There are some things you need to consider before you accept that new job. Nobody likes to be job hunting so a lot of people jump at a job offer, even if they aren't sure that's what they really want.

And they definitely don't ask for more money. They're afraid if they do the job offer wil be rescinded and it will be back to sending out resumes and cover letters to a bunch of other companies.

Let's say you've done your homework, your resume did its job, you aced the interview questions and this is definitely the job for you. Great.

But let's face it, they aren't going to offer you what they are willing to give you right up front. After all, most people never bother negotiating salary when they get a job offer. Well, that's about to change.

If you've done the job hunting the right way, you should be very familiar about the salary range for this position.

If you don't know do your homework, check out web sites, etc. You need to know the going rate.

Find out how this particular company gives raises - how much is based on cost of living adjustments and how much you can expect to make based on merit and job performance.

Are these above or below the industry average? How often can you expect raises? Every six months? Once a year? How does this compare to the industry average?

When negotiating salary at a new job (or later for a raise) you need to know these things. You can't just ask for x amount or a certain size raise.

You have to be prepared with the information that shows the company that you are worth that amount of money.

Make a list of all your attributes, of the things that you bring to the company that make you worth x amount per year. You are selling your skills to the company, just as if you were selling a high priced product to a potential customer.

They aren't going to buy it and pay what you want just because you tell them that's the price you want.

Go into salary negotiations prepared with the right data and a presentation and report justifying what you want to make, and you'll have a much better chance of getting the salary you want.