Negotiating salary with a new employer....

R.O.S.S.I said:
I know for definite that the holidays aren't what mine are currently and to be honest I've no idea if they pay bonuses, what the pension is or what other perks staff get there. There is very little information on their website to go off and I didn't feel it appropriate to go into that during the first interview. Do you think it would be a reasonable question for me to ask at this stage?

I think I am going to go with a 15% rise in pay and try not to go any lower than that. I'm not exactly on mega bucks anyway so it isn't a HUGE jump in pay compared to if I was on 50-60K.
Click to expand...

From experience I'd say the fact you are at second interview stage would entitle you to ask a few more questions about the package as second interviews tend to be more time consuming and in depth it wouldn't be unreasonable to find this out beforehand to ensure you're not wasting your time of theirs. Might be the sort of thing to discuss over the phone rather than an email as these sort of questions (from experience) can often be interpreted badly.
At the same time interview experience is always useful so asking these questions at the end of the second interview definitely wouldn't be unreasonable and if the package isn't great you've not lost out on anything apart from your time
 
There's lots of good advice in this thread. One thing to bear in mind is that it shouldn't be a difficult topic to discuss; nobody at your new employer is unconcerned with what their earn, so should appreciate why you are keen to know the details.

The funny thing I have noticed is that the further up the pay scale you go the more open it all becomes.
 
At my current job, when I went for an interview, when I was asked about remuneration I just gave them a piece of paper with my current package and negotiated from there - they were surprised I was that prepared and took some comfort that I wasn't there with unrealistic expectations.

No way did I think I would walk into the pay rise I got so it just pays to be open but ultimately you are there to make them money (or benefit them in some way) as well as you benefiting their business with your ability and experience.

I've probably been on 20+ interviews and it never gets any easier when discussing remuneration but certainly helps going with a realistic idea of market rate beforehand, at the very least.

Also, don't ask your potential predecessor how much they earn, it's bad form and hardly a way to get a good reputation in a new workplace.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
I know for definite that the holidays aren't what mine are currently and to be honest I've no idea if they pay bonuses, what the pension is or what other perks staff get there. There is very little information on their website to go off and I didn't feel it appropriate to go into that during the first interview. Do you think it would be a reasonable question for me to ask at this stage?
Click to expand...

No need to rush into it unless you think it is likely they won't be able to offer you something acceptable (seems unlikely given you feel you are underpaid) - if they want to hire you, the discussion will come around soon enough. In my current job the package wasn't discussed until after my 4th interview - although I suppose I did know what the advertised range and headline benefits was. Maybe worth pitching it as suggested i.e. looking for a range to avoid wasting everyone's time but stressing that you are still keen on the job.

As mentioned by others, do some scenario planning based on working hours / holidays / pensions etc so when they make their offer you can say how much extra you want to make up the difference. The fact you know you will get less holiday means you should have an immediate counter to their first offer i.e. you are hardly going to jump ship for an extra £3k/year if it means losing 5 days holiday.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
I know for definite that the holidays aren't what mine are currently and to be honest I've no idea if they pay bonuses, what the pension is or what other perks staff get there. There is very little information on their website to go off and I didn't feel it appropriate to go into that during the first interview. Do you think it would be a reasonable question for me to ask at this stage?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother - you can get into the details when they make you an offer and you start negotiating... Holidays are probably fixed as are the standard perks... working from home probably can be negotiated if it isn't standard and only available to some employees. Bonuses/expectations you can sort of negotiate/get a feel for but unless it is a sign on bonus or guaranteed one you're basically just trusting them. (then again if not everyone gets a bonus make sure you're one of the ones who is eligible for one)

Aside from salary other things are maybe them agreeing to pay for certain training for you... like once you've pushed them for as much as you think you can get away with on salary then ask about training courses perhaps - push them to commit to one(if applicable) - tis a way of getting another couple of grand or so out of them.
 
Well just an update. Just got in from my second interview which I felt went very well and wasn't an interview of sorts.

It was very relaxed and they explained they had asked me everything that they wanted to know during the first interview and the second interview was just for me to come in and spend some time with the current person doing the role to get a complete picture of what it entails and to make sure I was still up for it and still wanted the job.

All of the interview panel said that they were more than happy with my skills and experience and it was a very positive meeting overall I felt.

Alas the talk of salary never cropped up but they said they only had one second interview to do on Tuesday and they would be in touch hopefully with an offer on that day. I was getting the vibes that they would happily have recruited me but they have to see the person on Tuesday as a matter of due course now so whilst i'm not trying to get excited about it I am feeling quietly confident.

Hopefully the person on Monday will be a numpty and they offer me a decent package. Seems like a good place for me to work and get some more experience, very different to where I am at the moment (third sector) so will present its own challenges but I'm very much looking forward to the possibilities.

I'm also kind of glad that I didn't bring up the salary now and have to divulge what amount I would be happy with as it would have set my stall out quite clearly. This way I'm anticipating that if they want to recruit me they will make me an offer which could well be over what I was happy to take anyway and if it isn't I feel like i'm in a good position for some negotiation.
 
yup... it can be quite good to have dodged early discussion of it, makes it much simpler if they just phone you to make an offer - you can then simply ask for more... most hiring managers hold something back when making an offer so never be afraid to ask for more money
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
It's absolutely killer waiting to hear back from a prospective new employer on if you've been successful in your interview or not! Arrrgggggghhhhh!
Click to expand...

You're not wrong!
I got approached to take a job somewhere I quite fancy working and then the partner was away for a week or so until I could really meet them and discuss the role, I then thought it would be good but needed a formal offer on the table to discuss the financial side of it, but the partner was away again and said they'd get back to me at the weekend, must have checked my emails every 2 mins over the weekend - only for the offer to arrive this morning!
 
Was told that they only had one other person to 2nd interview which was today but as time is ticking on i'm feeling more and more like I haven't got it as they said they would be in touch on Monday :(

I know the day isn't over yet but those feelings of guttedness have kicked in already.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
Was told that they only had one other person to 2nd interview which was today but as time is ticking on i'm feeling more and more like I haven't got it as they said they would be in touch on Monday :(

I know the day isn't over yet but those feelings of guttedness have kicked in already.
Click to expand...

they could be debating it if both candidates are strong - I once sat on an interview panel with 3 other people and making a decision took us ages!!
 
Yeh true but those feelings of doubt always creep in the longer and longer it takes to be contacted. They might not even have interviewed the other person yet or might be in the process of doing so.
 
It took weeks for my current place to get back to me with various people involved in the decision process going off sick, got there in the end though.
 
Internal jobs aren't much better. Applied for an internally advertised role 3 1/2 weeks ago and haven't heard anything whatsoever other than an automated email when I applied!
 
Assuming the closing date has passed, follow it up with HR.

FWIW, I faced a similar wait once not hearing anything and then after about 3(?) weeks randomly got an meeting invite for the interview.
 
I'm hoping there has been some kind of practical issue preventing them from contacting me such as one of the decision makers not being in or similar.

If I don't hear anything by late this afternoon i'll drop them an email to ask if they have any feedback on my interview.
 
10% probably not, but 15% would make it justifiable to me however I don't think i'm going to get to that stage due to the radio silence atm.

They did say they had one person to see on Monday so would let me know then about an offer but they haven't been in touch.

I dropped an email to my contact there who was part of interview panel and who I have been liaising with about interviews etc just asking if a decision was made about the post and if I could have some feedback. They usually reply within 5-10 mins but so far haven't heard anything.

I know no news is good news technically but it would be nice for a response or even an update at least if somethings been delayed, especially as i'd been back for a 2nd interview and in my mind it had gone very very well! Bah this whole process reminds me why I hate moving jobs.
 
A kind of related question:

If you apply for a job that is advertised at for example £35k-£40k a year and you get the job and they start you on the minimum salary, how quickly should you progress towards the high end of the starting salary?
 
Here we go, getting somewhere.

They have just got back to me and offered me the role but at a reduced salary than what I am currently on.

Basically £X - 10%

They say we discussed that my current salary was more than what they were willing to offer for the experience I have during the interview process which i'm a bit confused about as all that they asked was what my current package was.

If I'd have known they couldnt give me an increase on what i'm on I probably wouldn't have bothered - plus I emailed them prior to ask them what the salary range was and they wouldn't give it me.

They have said they suggest reviews at 6 and 12 months to look at progression against the areas which they feel I need some training and development with associated pay rises.

What do you think? Am I just being low-balled? The person has asked for me to call them but they have attached an offer letter etc. I'm not sure why they think I would go for a pay cut and a decrease in holidays.

I suppose I've nothing to lose by saying I was looking for a minimum of 10% to make the move worthwhile. I'm under no immediate pressure to move from my current job as my contract has been extended. Baaahhhh this is head waffling.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom