Analysis of Suggestions for Fresh Graduates on Negotiation and Communication Skills

. Every job description that involves contact with several parties has negotiation as a vital prerequisite. When negotiating, the interest should always come first, followed by the stance. As the goal of any negotiation is to produce value and set the conditions under which parties with different and sometimes antagonistic goals will collaborate, preparedness, forbearance, and prior planning are essential to any negotiation's success. One should gather information, be aware of goals and values, find areas of agreement, choose a walk-away stance, and attempt to determine the next best option while preparing. The capacity to use relationships, expertise, influence, resources, time, and attitude in negotiations is a set of abilities that may be taught and honed through experience. It is important to remember that not all negotiations include a win-win situation. All sides benefit when a negotiation is successful. This paper evaluates the necessities of a successful negotiation. There are different types of negotiation- interest-based negotiation and distributive bargaining. The paper delves into the challenges that face these two negotiation strategies and their strengths. It recommends graduates on how they are supposed to carry out negotiations in the business industry. Therefore, the insights from this research paper are important since it equips the graduates with the industry model negotiation skills, which ensures business success. Instead of just standing motionless and droning on about their thoughts, a good listener gains more experience and may learn from other people's speeches, discussions, and communication. Most corporate negotiations are collaborative because both sides try to satisfy the other and utilize their counterpart's demands and negotiating tactics as a springboard for their ideas.


Introduction
There have been negotiations all the time and everywhere. From national talks to individual consultations, negotiation has penetrated modern society's political, economic, military, cultural, diplomatic, and other fields. It has become an indispensable tool for communication and consensus reaching between people, organizations, and countries. Getting ahead in the negotiation process is difficult, and rich experience and skills are essential. Negotiation skills are significant for fresh graduates, as most are unfamiliar with the workplace and have little experience in navigating the complexities of the business environment. Negotiation skills make it easier for new graduates to get a job offer [1]. Moreover, gaining negotiation skills will empower them to successfully enter the workplace and advance their careers by enabling them to deal with negotiation scenarios effectively. Distributive bargaining and interest-based bargaining are essential negotiation skills for new fresh graduates.
By definition, distributive bargaining is a negotiation tactic whereby one party is asked to give up something, and the other party is asked to make a concession. This tactic is often used within the retail industry, whereby sales consultants use various tactics to persuade consumers to buy their products [2]. For example, in a limited-time offer, the sales consultant will force the consumer to buy their product immediately before the deal expires. This tactic creates a win-lose situation where the sales consultant wins, and the consumer loses as the consumer will only get the product at a discount if they buy it before the deadline. Interest-based bargaining is a negotiation tactic whereby both parties reach a mutually beneficial agreement. In interest-based negotiations, the intent is to reach a mutually acceptable, mutually beneficial outcome for both parties. For example, if a business is trying to get a new supplier, the business may offer to place a large order over some time if the supplier can offer the products at a discounted price.
In everyday business activities, negotiation is the prelude to the transaction, and negotiation is the main melody of sales [3]. It is no exaggeration to say that people cannot escape negotiation in their lifetime; In business, one has no choice but to negotiate. However, although negotiations occur every day and all the time, it is not easy to make the results of negotiations satisfactory. The negotiator must apply multidisciplinary knowledge to business activities, making the negotiation comfortable and ultimately a win-win situation with the other party [1]. For graduates, basic skills and methods are needed in the interview before entering the workplace, communication with colleagues after formal work, or real business negotiation. Therefore, this article will first introduce the main negotiation techniques by analyzing the challenges faced when negotiating and will explore the importance and practicality of communication and negotiation skills for recent graduates.

Challenge about Negotiation
For graduates, the changeability and randomness of negotiations are the most prevailing and challenging phenomena in business or economic negotiation stages. As a crucial part of economic activities, the progress and change of business negotiation are closely related to the way of thinking and behavior of the main body of the negotiation [4]. As a result, it not only changes faster and more abundantly than ordinary economic activity, but it is also unpredictable. Due to the variability of the topic situation, pattern, environment, and strategy in the negotiation, the negotiation will show various forms of change.
From both sides, the negotiation landscape will change with the economic situation, the environment, and other factors, sometimes to the benefit of one side and sometimes to the other. In order to change the setting, the graduates should adopt various strategies based on their strengths, the balance of power, or weaknesses. The adjustment is around the objective of the transaction; once the satisfactory restrain to either side is breached, the arrangement will break down. Additionally, the negotiating parties' positions may differ at different times, and the negotiating subjects' mental states will also change considerably. Such changes often present opportunities, and successful negotiators often use opportunities as an important part of their negotiation strategy. To facilitate changes or improvements in the negotiation situation when opportunities arise, graduates should be able to adjust their negotiation plans and strategies in the proper ways. At this point, one side of the negotiation will miss the opportunity and regret it if they continue to follow the conventional path. Overall, variability encourages chance and leads to a great deal of randomness, reducing the controllability of negotiations and creating challenges for graduates [4]. Graduates should therefore adopt variable strategies to deal with different negotiation situations Another challenge stems from the universality and uncertainty of the subject of negotiation. Most of the business activities are trans-regional and trans-national. To be specific, sellers could sell goods to anyone. As a seller, its merchandise sales range is extensive; As a buyer, the range of choice of goods it purchases is also very extensive [5]. Therefore, the graduates, either as the buyer or seller, its negotiation object may be all over the country or even the world. In addition, to make the transaction more advantageous, there is also a need for extensive contact with the counterparty.
However, whether as a buyer or a seller, every transaction is made with a specific transaction object, and the specific transaction object is uncertain in the presence of competition. This characteristic requires graduates as negotiators not only to fully understand the market situation, timely grasp the law of value and the movement of supply and demand, but also to choose appropriate advertising media to promote themselves, establish an image, and often maintain contact with all aspects of the society, maintain old customers, develop new customers [5]. Most negotiations in business are collaborative, as both parties need to obtain satisfaction from the other, using the other party's requirements and strategies as a starting point for their thinking. In these cases, it is sensible to use a concession strategy, as a series of "give-and-take" offers usually leaves both sides feeling that the negotiation is "fair" and that they "meet in the middle" somewhere. It also demonstrates a willingness to be reasonable and acknowledge the legitimacy of the other side's position. Skilled negotiators often reserve a small final concession they can make at the end to make the agreement more reasonable and try to encourage an agreement in their favor rather than one party over the other [6]. At the same time, in the negotiation, both sides should constantly adjust their behavior and attitude, make necessary concessions, and understand the requirements of the other side, so that the negotiation may be successful and finally reach a satisfactory agreement for both sides.

Interest-Based Negotiation
Graduates can follow an interest-based negotiation model to create value and resolve conflict. The purpose of interest-based negotiation is that both sides or many sides want to achieve benefits without determining the winner. To achieve the desired goal, the negotiating parties must consider both their interests and the other party's interests in the negotiation process, finding a combination of interests that satisfies all parties and achieving a win-win situation.
Most people believe that only "win-win negotiation" is the best. However, disappointingly, in many real-life negotiation situations and cases, it is tough to meet the "win-win" conditions, and often even wishful thinking. This is because, in many cases, the interests of the negotiating parties are different, and they are not willing to make concessions. In fact, "win-win negotiation" is easier to achieve only when the difference in status, strength, and interest is within a smaller range. The real challenge to negotiators, or the test of negotiating ability, is their side and the other side of the negotiating position inequality or the interests of the two sides of the gap. For new graduates, having the skills to negotiate based on interests will be a plus for their future career path. This can also be applied to various job scenarios, such as the interview's first step into the job market. Before the interview, the graduates s should be sure of their position and avoid being swayed by the interviewer. It is also essential to plan and list the main points to be communicated to prevent being overlooked when expressing oneself. When communicating, be straightforward. By using the "focus first" strategy, graduates can avoid wasting time and energy on problem-solving. Graduates often face complex information, distracting people from more important matters [6]. Therefore, graduates need always to keep their minds sharp and clear, not to be confused by appearances, and avoid making decisions in a panic and on impulse. This helps to see the depth of the problem, get to the root of the problem, and make communication have the desired effect [7].

Distributive Bargaining and BATNA
For graduates, listening and communicating are equally important when negotiating. A good listener tends to accumulate more experience and can learn from other people's speeches, conversations, and communication rather than blindly standing still and forcing others to accept their ideas with endless chatter [7]. Distributive negotiation is about compromise and acceptance, emphasizing the BATNA (Best Alternative to a negotiated agreement) in negotiation, as not all negotiations end in a win-win situation. BATNA requires negotiators to consider the optimal outcome in case a deal is not reached and to compare the existing deal with this alternative [8]. It can be used when the goods or services are fixed, and people only negotiate the price. Distributive negotiation allows the final price to be fair and satisfy both parties. This is often described as a "win-lose" approach because every dollar you drop (if you are buying) or add (if you are selling) is a direct "win" for you and a "lose" for the other party [9].
A clear BATNA is important in negotiations and can help negotiators get a bigger "piece of the pie" [8]. In many cases, even when someone discloses their reservations, the other person cannot prove that they are telling the truth. One of the most common phrases in any negotiation is "this is the bottom line." When the other person tells us his reservation point, people are faced with the dilemma of determining whether the information is valid or not. In this case, Negotiators are always in a state of lack of information because the other side's reservation point is usually unverifiable (because it will contain subjective factors), and the BATNA, based on objective factors, becomes meaningless at this point. In other words, negotiations seem pointless if it is assumed that "private" information about retentions is unverifiable. People never know if the other person is telling the truth, so communication is futile (economists call such discussions "cheap negotiations"). In practice, however, cheap negotiations through research are quite essential. Some situations make negotiators more confident in judging the other side's reservations [10]. A significant number of graduates enter negotiations without thinking about their BATNA. Even if someone thinks of BATNA, they usually do not try to improve it. For most graduates, BATNA involves some uncertainty. However, uncertainty is no excuse for not considering BATNA. To get a bigger slice of the pie, graduates must have a perfect BATNA.
If the graduates do not fully consider their BATNA before the negotiation, he risks being influenced by their opponent. Therefore, the graduates should spend much time improving their BATNA before entering negotiations [10]. Moreover, avoid revealing the BATNA or retention price during negotiations unless one party wants to reach an agreement on the retention point. Otherwise, the other side could offer at the reservation point and not let the new negotiator get any surplus. "Staying the course" will also not work because the other party knows it is better to take the offer than the reserve price. Otherwise, the other side could offer at the reservation point and not let the new negotiator get any surplus. Additionally, when the other side sees that the other party is ready to walk away, it can lead to them agreeing to terms.

Conclusion
Negotiation is essential to the success and, ultimately, the survival of any organization in today's highly competitive, dynamic, and ambiguous business climate. As a result, graduates need to be able to negotiate and should always work to enhance their skills in this area. A variety of communication skills are required for effective negotiating, and they are among the most significant of these attributes. Knowing when to listen and talk is a game changer in negotiation.
When negotiating, the interest of all parties should come first, followed by the posture that each side intends to take. Because the purpose of any negotiation is to generate value and to provide the circumstances under which parties with differing and often hostile agendas would work, being wellprepared, showing patience, and preparing ahead are crucial components of any successful negotiation. While one is prepared, it is important to collect information, be conscious of one's aims and beliefs, discover areas of agreement, choose a position that allows one to walk away, and strive to establish the next best alternative.
As a graduate, it is essential to understand two negotiation techniques; distributive bargaining and interest-based negotiation. A negotiating strategy known as distributive bargaining involves one side being asked to give up while the other party is urged to concede to reach an agreement. On the other hand, the goal of negotiation based on interests is for all parties involved, or as many parties as possible, to come out ahead without first deciding who will win. Understanding these two techniques and the challenges involved is important in fostering successful business negotiations.
Therefore, graduates are obligated to maintain their brains sharp and clear at all times, avoid being misled by outward appearances, and refrain from making judgments in a state of panic and on the spur of the moment. This assists in gaining a better understanding of the scope of the issue, locating the source of the issue, and ensuring that communication has the intended impact.