5 Things Employers Don't Want You to Know About Salary and Benefits

It's probably not a surprise to learn that most employers hold information close to the vest when it comes to negotiating salary and benefits. The onus is on the job seeker to have as much information as possible when it's time to talk about money. Recruiters walk a precarious road between the hiring managers at the companies who pay them and the candidate they hope will win the job.

Janine Truitt, chief innovations officer of Talent Think Innovations, LLC, knows these difficulties all too well. She notes that benefits are very difficult to negotiate. "Your benefits are what they are," she says. "In rare instances, candidates may be able to negotiate being grandfathered in at a higher accrual bracket for vacation and sick time, but this is very rare and largely dependent on individual circumstances."

In other words, special treatment is saved for very key hires a company wants to recruit, and only if the desired candidate asks for it.

However, when it comes to negotiating, Truitt notes, there are several things employers don't want you to know:

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