Salary negotiations

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
I’m confused……..Is it acceptable to negotiate salary when looking for a job? A friend had a interview go south as soon as the topic came up and another friend had an offer retracted because she asked for more.

Job hunting is so disheartening, 5 times I’ve broached salary, once when asked directly during an interview that I then never heard back from, twice after receiving job offers that were later retracted because I asked the question, both were a lucky escapes and one I wasn’t ever going to accept but the other one was a real dent to my confidence at the time, I’ve had two jobs advertised at a salary they were unwilling to pay quoting on target earning and discretionary bonuses.

I put it down to bad luck and maybe misreading a situation but some employers seem to want an awful lot these days for not a lot. I didn’t dare bring it up for my current job, it was a fair package being offered anyway but I really wanted the job and don’t want to risk it.
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
I usually try to avoid asking the salary questions at interviews and think of an alternative question at the end of the interview such as "I'm doing a course in XY or Z, do you offer any assistance in self learning, etc".

It deflects the interviewers from their flow and stands you out from the other "greedy" candidates.

If they ask me about salary's I don't answer and if they suggest a figure I raise a polite eyebrow but don't answer or if I have to I ask questions about how their bonuses work.

When it comes down to salary negotiations I wait until I get a firm offer and negotiate from there. By this time they've already made their minds up and invested too much to change their choice.

Hope this helps.
 

Chick

Well-Known Forumite
I’ve always avoided talking about salary in interviews and waited until they’ve come back with an offer.

That’s usually happened via a recruiter so it’s feels different negotiating via a third party. At that point the company have also made it clear they want me for the role so I’m in a far stronger position to negotiate and hold out for what I feel I’m / the job is worth
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
When it comes down to salary negotiations I wait until I get a firm offer and negotiate from there. By this time they've already made their minds up and invested too much to change their choice.

Hope this helps.
I’ve never brought it up in interview and never would, I broached it one time after being offered a job, they wanted someone to come in a build a marketing team, it was part time initially and advertised at what seemed to be a suitable wage, after offering me the job it turned out it was pro rata and minimum wage. 🤷🏻‍♀️They got really shitty when I questioned it. That was the one I was never going to take in a million years.

Then another one who when they offered me the job sent through a list of suitable workwear - with pictures like it was for a kid which seemed odd but didn’t initially seem alarming. Salary expectations had been mentioned in the interview briefly and they seemed affable about discussing it as I said what I was currently earning which was more than they were advertising. I brought it up after the job offer and the tone changed immediately, the morning I was supposed to start I got an email saying offer withdrawn, there was no reason at all for it other than that I had gone back asking for more than they had offered.

Both positions were managerial roles, I realise now I’d had a lucky escape, a friend in recruitment told me the company were well know time wasters and didn’t keep staff for two minutes but the second one at the time felt like a major blow and left me jobless.

Two weeks later I got my current job I didn’t want to risk even having the conversation, I just snapped their hand off. Can’t help feeling like I sold myself short though 😬
 
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Cue

Well-Known Forumite
I’ve always been under the impression that salary negotiations were part of the process - as @Lucy said it’s a bullet dodged if they clammed up.
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
In my current role I was asked how much I wanted in my second interview. The CMO was in that too so it's not like I was just talking to HR. Still kicking myself I didn't ask for the top of what it was advertised for.
 

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
This is a thing? Wow! Where I work it's an advertised pay scale for a role and you know they pay band before you apply. There's no negotiation no matter how good you are!
 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
This is a thing? Wow! Where I work it's an advertised pay scale for a role and you know they pay band before you apply. There's no negotiation no matter how good you are!
Same here, we get no choice in the pay banding. I wish.
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
Many of the interviews I've had used a team of interviewers. The Civil Service had five people sat in an arc around you, each firing questions from different directions in an attempt I'm sure to put you into a fluster.

If you encounter such a scenario, and the salary thing comes up, say this: "I'm quite willing to start on a thousand pounds per week until I get the hang of the job."

Quite often one of the interviewers will have a heart attack on hearing this and drop dead with shock, at which point you should point at him on the floor and say: "Tell you what, I'll take his job at 10% less than you were paying him now, that way we'll all come out as winners."

I have to say this has never actually worked for me, but I figure with some degree of modification it holds promise. :heyhey::P
 
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