News this week from Harvard Daily Stat has confirmed my opinion that there’s no place for being sensible when it comes to negotiating your salary!  In this study, job candidates who jokingly requested ridiculously high salaries received 9% higher wage offers than candidates who made no such jokes, according to a simulation conducted by Todd J. Thorsteinson of the University of Idaho.

In the experiment, students applied for imaginary jobs as administrative assistants, stating that their previous salary level had been $29,000; those who kiddingly said they’d like to earn $100,000 were offered an average of $35,385, compared with $32,463 for the non-jokers. In a negotiation, an initial offer—even one offered in jest—can serve as an “anchor,” affecting the eventual outcome, Thorsteinson says.

So next time you’re in the hot seat, chances are you’ll be much better off making an outrageous request than a more balanced one.  

Go ahead… I dare you to give it a try and let me know if it works!!