Dan left a high–paying job with an insurance company in Virginia to sign on with a rapidly–growing company outside his industry in Chicago. He found the opportunity particularly attractive, as it offered a chance to earn equity instead of just working for salary.

When should you get it in writing? Always get it in writing!

On an engineering project, Alex’s boss offered "50." Alex negotiated it up to "60." The trouble was, the boss meant $60,000 a year while Alex was counting on $60 an hour! That’s double the boss’ offer at $120,000 a year!

You’ve expressed interest in the job, gone through the interviews and the company is ready to extend an offer. Now what do you do? Is it only about the money or are there other things to consider?

Salary-making Rule #1 in my book is "postpone salary talk until there's an offer." So, do you follow this rule slavishly? And what to do when the employer insists? First, let's acknowledge that Rule #1 is the hardest rule to follow in the salary negotiation process.

A non-compete may look harmless enough, but if you're not careful it can cost you a lot of time and money in the long run. Non-compete agreements steal your future negotiating power. They provide no extra compensation for signing. Sometimes, they make economic sense and provide needed protection to the employer; other times they are capricious. Either way, they don't add value to you. Here are some options you have from best to worst.

Concerned that you might negotiate an offer verbally and be disappointed when your paycheck doesn't match? Getting the offer in writing can certainly prevent expensive salary misunderstandings. Here are some examples and guidelines about when and why it's to your advantage to put pen to paper.

Would you like to make sure that you don't miss out on thousands of dollars in salary and compensation bonuses? Do you need a few negotiating tips to ensure that salary and benefits are set up in your favor? Innocent-looking boilerplate documents when you're hired may contain compensation time bombs.

For many, the hardest part of the job search process is handling salary questions. No one wants to intentionally leave money on the table, and yet too often a few fatal errors actually steal potential dollars right out of your pocket.

How does someone tactfully answer the question of present employment salary in an interview? And what can you say when the position you're applying for pays considerably more than your current job?