1. What is your base salary and when is it payable? Understand all deductions from your paycheck.

2. When does the pay week start and end?

3. If a payday falls on a holiday, when are paychecks distributed?

4. Is overtime offered? If so, at what rate? Are more senior workers offered overtime first? How much notice will be given before you are requested to work overtime? Can you refuse to work overtime for a good reason?

Bonus Pay

1. Your goal is to make a bonus part of your compensation package and not subject to the employer's whim or discretion.

2. If possible, negotiate to receive a bonus. If so, understand how it is calculated and when it is paid.

3. Request a verifiable bonus. Specify the amount, when it is to be paid, and that there are no strings or conditions attached.

4. Request a pro rata bonus in the event you resign or are fired prior to the bonus being paid. For example, if the bonus is computed on sales volume and you work a full year but resign or are fired on December 1 of that year, you should be able to receive eleven-twelfths of the expected bonus.

5. Avoid allowing the employer the right to arbitrarily determine when and if a bonus will be paid and in what amount.

6. Resist arrangements that require you to be on the job after a bonus is earned in order to receive it. If the employer insists on this condition, negotiate the right to receive a bonus if you are fired due to a business reorganization, layoff, or for any reason other than gross misconduct.

7. Get it in writing. Verbal promises to pay bonuses are not always enforceable.

8. Try to link the bonus to some verifiable formula (for example, gross profits or sales volume). In fact, if a bonus-enforceable-by-contract arrangement can be proved in court, you may have the right to inspect the employer's books and records in a lawsuit.

Fringe Benefits

1. Your goal is to properly negotiate extra compensation in the form of fringe benefits. Many forms of fringe benefits are even more valuable than salary because they are nontaxable.

2. What fringe benefits will you receive?

3. Try to negotiate use of an automobile, free parking, car insurance or allowance reimbursement, gasoline allowance, or loans at reduced rates of interest, if applicable.

4. Are you entitled to additional compensation in the form of tax-qualified plans, including defined-benefit, profit-sharing, money purchase, and pension plans? Other benefits you should also be aware of are social security benefits, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), 401(k) plans, thrift plans, stock bonus plans, and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).

5. Understand what benefits the employer offers in the area of additional compensation and what contributions will be made on your behalf. Key questions to ask are:

• Are you required to contribute matching sums of money? If so, how much will this cost you? Can you increase or decrease matching contributions at your discretion? If so, is notice required and how much?
• Does the investment accumulate tax-free?
• Can the money be taken prior to your retirement? If so, is there a penalty?
• What happens if you resign or are fired for cause? Is the money forfeited?
• What happens if the company is sold or goes bankrupt? Is the money protected?
• Who administers the plan benefits? How can you be sure that there are no funding liabilities and the monies will be set aside as promised? Are the plan benefits prudently invested in such a manner as to preclude large losses?

Relocation Expenses

1. Always negotiate to receive relocation expenses where applicable. For example, if you are moving from Cleveland to San Diego to accept a new job, request the employer to pay for all direct and incidental expenses associated with the move. This might include losses incurred in selling your house, expenses incurred to transport your personal possessions, and travel to the job site for you and your family. Points to discuss and negotiate include questions like:

• How much relocation pay will be given?
• When is it payable and who will pay for it?
• Are taxes taken out of the payments?
• What supporting documentation is required in order to receive reimbursement?

2. Do not allow the employer to unilaterally cancel relocation expenses if the job doesn't work out because you may have moved yourself and your family thousands of miles at great expense with no protection.

3. If you are planning to relocate to a distant location, ask to receive written assurances that relocation expenses will be paid regardless of how long you work for the company.

Job Advancement

1. Are periodic raises given? If so, what is the procedure for merit raises and job advancement?

2. Understand how raises are determined. Avoid situations where the amount of the raise or promotion is determined by one person's subjective decision. If so, do you have the right to appeal a supervisor's decision? How may this be accomplished?