Congratulations! You’ve successfully gone through the recruitment interviewing process and arrived at the “we’d love to have you on our team.” And it’s the job you’ve always wanted. For most the next step is having to negotiate the salary associated with the offer. And for many, it’s as daunting a process as an interview. But it doesn’t need to be. They want you and you want to work for them. This means there’s scope to discuss your salary expectations and what they’re prepared to offer you. Here’s how to politely negotiate your salary.
What is Salary Negotiation?
Negotiation of a compensation package is focused on pay and benefits linked to the position with a potential (new) employer. It’s part of the recruitment and hiring process. Usually, it’s headed up by the company’s HR, your future manager or the company’s recruitment agency. Often the preference of both the employer and the potential employee is to have the comfort of an intermediary involved. Such as a recruitment agency to help both parties through the process.
The goal of negotiating a salary is to arrive at a package that both you and your future employer see as fair compensation. Ahead of signing an employment contract, most employers expect to discuss your salary. This means that in most cases it’s not expected, or advisable, to accept the first offer.
Reasons to Counter-Propose a Salary Offer
The top reason for discussing a revised salary offer is that you regard the proposed pay and/or benefits as too low. Often this happens when a salary offer doesn’t consider what you as an individual bring to the job. This means your dialogue going forward needs to be based on these five considerations:
5 Things a Salary Offer Should Consider
- Industry salary norms for comparative jobs.
- Your qualification levels (education, certification, and licences).
- Any industry experience.
- Career level and leadership experiences.
- Relevant and complementary skillsets.
When do You Negotiate Salary?
The time to discuss your salary is usually after you’ve been through all the interviews the employer wants you to go through. For example, with HR, Line Manager or business owner, in the case of smaller businesses. Only then will the employer consider asking you what your salary expectations are. It’s never advisable to ask the interviewer or the recruitment agency “what salary is being offered”. Best practice is to wait for someone to ask you what your salary expectation is.
Of course, what can happen is that you’ve received a verbal job offer. It’s always best to ensure that discussions are formalised in writing. If need be, follow up on more informal conversations by sending the person a summary email of what was discussed.
Sometimes you will be asked what your salary expectations are during the interview process. If this happens then be prepared with a wide salary range that you’re most comfortable with. Or to say that you’re looking for a competitive offer and ask if they have a salary range in mind. You can preface how wide your proposed range is by saying that you’d like to know more about the job and its context before committing to a specific number. When salary expectations are discussed in interviews, they likely expect you to ask more in-depth questions about the job and company.
What Should You Say in Salary Negotiation?
What you want to avoid is to start a new job with your integrity in question. So don’t lie or fudge information. Rather make sure that you know what you’re talking about while remaining fair to yourself. This means being transparent, upfront, and honest. It might seem like a tall order. But it is possible to do it in a way that leaves everyone feeling happy and doesn’t insult or burn bridges.
Before discussing any aspect of your remuneration package, you need to be able to answer these questions:
- Why do you think you should be paid more?
- Why aren’t you satisfied with the offer presented?
- Is this job your top choice and do you have any other offers?
10 Tips for Negotiating a Salary After a Job Offer
- Take stock of what you have to offer (qualifications, experience, skills…).
- Investigate the cost of living where you are based.
- Evaluate and include any potential job-related expenses (relocation, commute, equipment…).
- Know the average national, regional, and local salary range for your job.
- Formally set up a time to negotiate your salary.
- Practice with a friend or in front of a mirror beforehand. This will help to decrease the potential discomfort of your money discussion.
- Be friendly, professional, and confident in your demeanour.
- Start the initial discussions and communications with why you’re excited about the job.
- Ask for the top of your range, especially if there are cost implications associated with you taking the position. This way, if you need to negotiate downward you are still happy with the end number.
- Give them time to consider what you’ve put forward and to make you a counteroffer. Then take 24-48 hours to evaluate it before replying.
It’s best to present a salary range and not an exact number. However, also think beyond a pay-check number and look at overall benefits and work-life balance. For example, you might find that a hybrid working situation or extra leave days are more valuable than more money.
When to Walk Away
Turning down a good job offer isn’t easy to do, even when it’s the right move for you.
The reality is if a salary doesn’t cover your financial needs, then you shouldn’t consider accepting it. Effectively, if you do, you are agreeing to pay towards working at the company.
Another reason that you might turn down a job is additional information. Information that leads you to believe that the job is not the right fit for you. Or that the position is inherently problematic, and the previous incumbent had good cause to leave it. Alternatively, given the additional information, the organisational culture may not be right for you. Or the company’s ethos seems likely to require you to compromise your values.
Most people interview for multiple jobs while looking for a new one. Therefore, an understandable reason to turn down a job offer is because you’ve been offered a better one.
If you’ve decided to decline a job offer, then do it respectfully and as quickly as possible. The position still needs to be filled and HR is under pressure. Furthermore, if you are remaining within the industry, you might collaborate with the company. Or want to work there later.
The Advantages of Working with a Recruitment Agency
It’s often tricky to find the right job. Being certain of how much you’re worth to a company can be complicated. The result is people undervalue themselves and end up in stressful situations. Or they overvalue themselves and the result is the company stops considering them as a potential employee.
Using the Key Recruitment Group to find a job is a certain way of only applying for jobs that are a good fit for your skills. It’s also a way of better ensuring that you find the type of job you want. Then, when it comes to negotiating a salary, you’ve got the advantage of having experts to assist you. Contact Us today to chat further or submit your CV now.