When sitting in the interview chair with a career opportunity on the line, it's a natural temptation to give in on the price in order to secure the job. Resist that temptation, because a poor starting salary negotiation can hurt a software pro's career potential, job satisfaction and even the success of the employer's business.

According to TechTarget's 2012 IT Professional Salary Survey, 14% of respondents who left their employer within the first year of employ did so over salary concerns. Obviously, poorly negotiated pay packages can lead to job satisfaction issues for employees and retention issues for the employer. It's easy for IT professionals who are negotiating a salary for the first time to inadvertently sell themselves short.

In this article for TheServerSide.com, we take a look at current trends in salary negotiations, and suggest some tips on both how not to sell yourself short, and how to get the most out of salary and contract negotiations.

How a software pro can win starting salary negotiations

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Follow Cameron McKenzie on Twitter (@potemcam)

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