A lush starting salary probably isn’t in the cards, but recent college graduates have the opportunity to negotiate salaries in today’s competitive job market.

Kevin Hardy, program coordinator for Business Career Services, spoke about salary negotiations in a lecture Thursday night, “Get Paid What You’re Worth.”

He gave students tips on negotiating salaries for their first job.

“Employers really don’t want you to have this information,” he said. “It is not their favorite thing to negotiate a salary.”

When interviewing with a potential employer, never bring up benefits or salaries unless the employer asks, he said.

He said the graduate should always have a range for an expected salary, but never give an exact number.

Students can check with university career services for specific salary ranges.

“What you say and how you say it is extremely important,” Hardy said. “Act like you’ve done this before.”

When deciding between two job offers, don’t consider the salaries, he said.

“Decide which job you want the most,” he said. “Say I have another job offer with a bigger salary – [I would] ask if they can match that.”

There are more options if the salary is already set. See if the company offers a sign-on bonus, relocation assistance or retention bonuses, he said.

Hardy also discussed how to accept a job offer.

“Before you accept any position, be sure,” he said. “Be absolutely sure.”

He said a person should be 100 percent sure before they accept an offer. Job seekers don’t need to put pressure on themselves or the employer he said.

“Once you have accepted with a company, stay with that company,” Hardy said.

He used the analogy of marriage to underscore this point.

“Once you have gotten married you don’t continue to date other people, do you?” he said.

Hardy said it is also important to research the company. He suggested talking to a recent hire to get a better idea of what the job is.

“It is important to take a step back and look at the big picture,” he said.

Hardy also spoke about relationships with co-workers and supervisors. When it comes to office politics, he said it’s not wrong to try to make yourself the favorite.

“Your boss is always right,” he said. “Make your boss look as good as you possibly can.”

Hardy said taking extra responsibilities and meeting all deadlines will impress employers.

“Listen, especially early on. Don’t act like you know everything,” he said. “And remember that you are always being evaluated.”

Barbara Orr, graduate student in accounting, already has a job lined up.

“I wish I had come here [to the lecture] before I accepted my job, but it was very helpful,” she said.

Nicole Bogler, graduate student in accounting, hopes to apply what she learned in the lecture when she goes job hunting.

“I’m thankful that I came because I have an internship next semester, and now I have information on how to possibly turn that into a full-time job,” Bogler said.