Negotiating for a new job position can be tough. I recently volunteered to work extra shifts at a local restaurant due to a personal need to raise enough money for valentine’s day. The goal of the negotiation was to acquire a temporary position as a server at the local restaurant allowing me to have flexible hours of work but, still benefit the owner due to the limited number of staff members. In this scenario, the goal was specific and straightforward, and I knew the owner needed all the help he could get.

Regarding the planning process, I decided to (1) understand what I needed which is a job position. The next step was to (2) establish the preparation of the negotiation including dressing appropriately and confining my words to the essentials of the meeting. (3) Therefore, I conducted my homework on how negotiations ought to conducted especially when bargaining for a flexible work schedule. However, I had to be (4) aware of the authority limits where I have to remind myself that I am an employee seeking work from an employer (owner of the business). Consequently, I decided to use a simple approach to negotiation which entailed speaking to the owner of the company. The goal allowed the two parties (the owner of the restaurant and I) to have a common understanding of how to solve the problem. However, my demands were not readily acceptable by the owner due to several reasons such as the need to have constant workers, especially during peak hours.