Let’s face it; negotiating a salary for a potential new job is a task many people dread to deal with. Before you start talking pay and salary negotiations with a prospective employer, you need to find out the current salary range for the role. Salary surveys on recruitment websites r those published by the industry are good sources. You will need to take time to research salaries so that you will be prepared to get what you’re worth and to get a job offer that is realistic and reasonable.
Until you have received the job offer, at least verbally, and preferably in writing, the company is still deciding whether to give it to you. Any conditions that you introduce in terms of remuneration package run a risk of discouraging the company from making the offer in the first place.
Ideally, you want to see what the employer is willing to pay before you say what you are willing to accept. The time when you will have the most negotiating power is after you have been offered the job and before you have accepted it but salary often comes up much earlier in the negotiations. If you must discuss salary, discuss it in terms of your total remuneration package rather than base salary alone. Benefits, bonuses and overtime are all part of your overall package.
Companies are willing to negotiate what is fair as long as it doesn’t stray from their budget for the position or their organisational structure. You should prove that the salary you are seeking is consistent with the value you will bring to the company.
Despite your best efforts, there are cases where there may be simply not enough money in the budget to increase your salary or remuneration package offer. The company may also not want to create inequities by paying one person more than others in a similar position. In that case, you can at least know you tried. Plus, if this is a job you really think that you will be satisfied with, consider whether the company’s culture, benefits and the job itself are worth it – regardless of the salary.
Timesconsult assists thousands of businesses in employments and hundred thousands of job seekers in careers.
