Feedback on the article, Salary Negotiations:The basics, by Lama Ataya

Yours truly was indeed impressed after reading an article on the topic Salary Negotiations:The basics, by Lama Ataya of www.bayt.com published in the business section of the leading English Daily of the Sultanate of Oman, Times of Oman, dated December 31st 2009.Knowing Lama Ataya(albeit through a tele-talk, long time back)and his leading job portal company in the Middle East, the article was on the expected lines touching upon the skills of negotiation while one goes for a job.The article starts with an emphasis on negotiation after one is selected for the position applied for. The author added that this is what is even being expected by the employer.However, the perspectives of yours truly would have added the stage the job seeker is in.This is significant especially when he/she is a fresh candidate, as it may not be apt for him/her to go for hard negotiation on two grounds. The first one is that he/she being a fresher, the first few years in the job when he is completely raw and devoid of any practical experience, is essential for learning, rather than earning as the investment in these formative years, in terms of learning the nuances of the game goes a long way in making hard bargains more effective subsequently in ones career.The second aspect would apply not only for a fresh candidate, but relate to the experienced campaigners having years of experience behind them. Yours truly is referring to the slowdown being witnessed by the employment market, including the one in Middle East, although it should be admitted that the Sultanate is better placed than many of its rivals at the AGCC and global level owing to the solid business fundamentals laid down by the visionary, His Majesty!The time may not be ripe for the job seeker to go for an all out negotiation especially when companies are trying to downsize employee strength and every one across levels and functions would simply be happy to retain their jobs.In this time of hardship yours truly finds the article a mismatch especially when he is involved in training and nurturing the future Omani managers and entrepreneurs, as a faculty of business studies in one of the prestigious colleges of technology in the Sultanate.Salary negotiation during a downturn would have been the right topic in the current scenario.The article may not impact an experienced professional as he/she is not going to get swayed away by the same, however, it may definitely impact the fresh candidates as they would go for an all out hard negotiation, failing to realize the fact that the job market is on a gradual upward movement and coming to the terms from the jolt received from the recession, biggest since the greatest depression of the 30s and 40s..The just receded recession is yet to fade away completely and especially when the Dubai crisis was the last alarmaing bell to make the stakeholders aware that it is not yet over, followed by mass removal of manpower in the companies of the Emirate(notably from the realty sector with an indirect bearing on other sectors),the article would not give the right direction to the job seekers.On a positive note, the article discusses threadbare, the skill of salary negotiation and how the same should not be limited to salary only and rather encompass the overall package, only after knowing one's own skills, knowledge and abilities, and commensurate skill-sets required for the position, the opportune time for starting and closing the negotiation related to salary are important takeaways for any job seeker.One should congratulate Times of Oman, and Lama Ataya to initiate such excellent pieces which are going to help all the job seekers across the Sultanate to know their real worth in the job market. From the employer's viewpoint it would lead to the attraction and retention of the right talent as the hard times being witnessed presently by all the organizations would soon see the dawn of a new business cycle, with full of opportunities, especially when Oman is on the cusp of a growth.