Does anyone have any insight on how to approach civilian employment contract negotiations (e.g. bonuses, wages, etc.)?

I am not completely clear that if your asking about a regular hire as a civilian into a private company or hire as a independent 1099 contractor but I can address the first since I have no clue on the second but I hear the second can be lucrative in some cases.

1. There is a website called glass door that will give you a rough approximation of what insiders get and give you a general info on a company though you have to remember it is viewing the company through someone elses lens and is not always accurate. (see website link below)

2. Generally it is considered in bad taste to raise the topic in your first interview unless the interviewer raises it first. You should wait until at least your hiring interview to raise the topic of Salary and Bonus'.

3. Bonuses in my long experience are based on the company and unless your in the Executive ranks or in Sales your not going to have much influence on them as they are based solely on job performance and meeting targets and are set at the Executive level based on pay level. You can ask what the performance inputs are into your bonus if your future company offers them but I think your not going to have any influence on the size unless your an Executive. Not all companies offer a bonus, so you can ask if they offer a bonus program and what are the criteria. If the answer is no to a bonus ask if stock options are given out as some firms give those out to very high performers in lieu of a bonus then attempt to keep it secret from other employees (it usually leaks out at some point). I get a bonus based on a billable hours target but if Sales sucks and it is beyond my ability to get that said bonus the company has been generous to me and given me a token bonus (far less than I would get for hitting target but better than nothing)............it's something you should ask about as well.

4. Remember also that Vacation time is negotiable for some companies (2 weeks annual to start or 3 weeks annual to start). Most companies that have troubles finding employees are moving to 3 weeks paid vacation a year plus 4-5 personal days. Almost becomming equal to the one month paid leave of the Army. If you put in 20 years already in the Army or are over 45, you really should ask for 3 weeks of vacation instead of taking the 2 they offer. Asking doesn't cost you a thing in my experience most companies will make an exception and give you 3 without too much push back. You have to handle this on a case by case basis depending on company. In my opinion if your 45 or older and they stick to 2 weeks only of vacation they are cheap bastards.

5. Likewise ask about working at home programs or flex time. More and more employers are embracing those as well. I haven't worked outside of my home since May and I am making well over 6 digits.........I can't tell you how nice that is. No commute time or commute costs I can sleep in if I want if there are no meetings or conference calls. Usually they do conference calls by skype so you still have to dress business casual somedays AND they might require you to sign a waiver that you have a home office that meets Federal office ergonomic and safety standards. But if you can try for the work at home option if they offer it. It's worth easily $7-10k in Salary with the money you save personally. If they offer the work at home option, they should cover expenses for a cell phone (100%), home phone (optional if they cover cell phone) and Internet (100%).


https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm

Read the want ads & see what the going rate is for your knowledge & experience... that's your STARTING point

Hey SFC Springman, 1) They will ask how much are you looking for, don't answer this, ask them what does the job pay? 2) Tell them they need to be fair as in the first two weeks you find out how your salary and benefits align to similar personnel and if they short change you will be upset and most-likely leave which will be a lose lose to both. Try to align your capabilities and describe how you will help the company grow. Discuss upward mobility and your ability to bring positive change. In industry there is a lot of dog eat dog, there is a lot of sniping, teamwork and everyone working toward the leadership vision is only good for those who get the credit and others will try to take credit for your work. You will also have a retirement check coming in where others don't thus making them more insecure.

Your question doesn't really hit the mark? Usually a civilian position will point to a scale of wages depending on a myriad of issues; experience;- education; job position -I.,e., manager level - director etc,. But normally wages are like a poker game. You wait until all the hands are played and you lay down your "full house!" Don't discuss any wages until you get a second interview! During the first interview try to explain why you are the best person for this position!

You will get the prevailing rate for your position with regard to others. There is nothing you can do about that dealing with HR, which are a bunch of puckered up assholes. They love to fuck with peoples' lives. As instead for three weeks vacation, and tell them that you are worth it. You have had 30 days leave weather you needed it or not, but don't tell them that. This is a no cost to the company request. And if they deny it, run.

I'll answer a little more than you asked.

When I retired in 1990 I had three companies interested in me. I had the fortunate experience of working closely with defense contractors my last six years in the Air Force.
Company 1: they were seriously interested and I never discussed salary with the hiring managers. At the last part of the interview process they sent me to see their HR manager who happened to be a retired Air Force Lt Col. I knew I had not interest when he stated, "We know what your retired Air Force Major's pay will be..." end of my interest in that company.
Company 2: major interest but due to their internal bureaucracy it was taking weeks to get me an offer.
Company 3: major interest and they quickly gave me an offer of $70,000 which I accepted. This was in 1990. I used my earnings statement in stating my salary requirements which included the tax benefits.

Ok, I know that won't work for everyone but that was my experience when I retired. As others have said leave the salary discussions to the end of the interview process.

I used the statement - Both of us know what this job should receive. You do as you need. If you are fair we will both be happy.

It actually worked okay for me.

Let me clarify some more. Currently with the Company. Signed and negotiated a entry level Management contract. Interviewed (VTC), and will be doing site visit (same company/different location) for a higher level Management position. Entry level contract was pretty cut and dry. Now I'm delving into "unknown territories" with more "complex" negotiations for the higher position.

There are other things that are negotiable that are often overlooked. For first instance, Vacation Allowance. Hiring Managers may not have the authority to go above a certain number for the salary; however, most are cleared to increase the starting vacation days. Many companies simply start all new employees at 2 weeks of vacation without regard to the seniority of the new employee. VACATION DAYS ARE NEGOTIABLE. Ask for three weeks; ask for four! Let the hiring person nudge you back down from four to three if necessary. When do the health or retirement account benefits start? NEGOTIABLE. When are you vested into the company? That is NEGOTIABLE also. My 32 year old son did not negotiate his health and death benefits when he switched from his ten year company to another. He died of an enlarged heart in his second month on this new job. His pregnant wife got nothing from the new company, other than a passed hat by his new coworkers. VACATION and BENEFIT start dates are NEGOTIABLE.

You should probably be more specific. You'll get more targeted or useful advice. The range of companies out there is pretty big. Conventional wisdom is that senior hires often negotiate, junior employees (positions) usually don’t have much leverage.
The size and structure of the company will also impact your ability to negotiate. A large company will likely have greater resources to expend on employee benefits, but it also may have more intractable policies, giving you less flexibility to adapt your benefits than you might find at a smaller company.
A senior hire may find that almost all contract points are negotiable, whereas a recent college grad will have less power to change the package.
You have research the company and find out for example; whether the company's policies even allow for bonuses. If the company does not have a bonus policy then there is nothing to negotiate.

Don't try to negotiate health care - ACA (the law) does not allow companies to negotiate health benefits.