ok so here is a few tips and tricks that i learned and have had success from increasing my expected salary. i graduated university in may 2010 and since then i've had 2 full time positions both times i was able to sucessfully negotiate my wage/benefits.
1.) never state how much you're looking for. especially when they ask. The employers will either know what salary they want to pay, or try to see how low you can go.
2.) when they do ask how much you want + benefits, reply with a question something like how much were you considering to be a fair amount considering my education and experience. they will generally give you a pretty good ball park figure. after that, you'll have the upper hand in telling them what you are confortable with and what wage + benefits will make you happy.
3.)if the employers are firm on a salary, and it's not the amount you were hoping for, you can negotiate better benefits (ie. more vacation days is the easiest one to get).
this all depends on how attractive you are to them, and what the competition is for the job you're going for as well. so it is a very sensitive game to play and you should play it carefully. you should be firm in your wage idea, a wage that you will be happy making and set your sights on that. dont go overboard and state a amount 20-30% higher than what you know you can make.
