Salary negotiation - where to pitch myself?

wontfallforit

Sorry, this type of question has probably been asked a million times before, but here goes:

I have a job interview in a couple of weeks that I'm pretty confident I'll succeed in (fingers crossed, that's another matter!).

Anyway, the salary is advertised as negotiable dependent upon experience, with around a £6000 gap between the minimum and maximum salary. I'm unsure as to where to pitch myself if I'm asked what salary I'm looking for.

I'm actually hoping that the company will decide my salary for me, but the explicit statement that the salary is negotiable has got me a little worried. I'm concerned that if I pitch too high, they might laugh (ha!), and even refuse me the job. Conversely, if I pitch too low, I might be under-selling myself.

The min. salary advertised is about £1,000 more than I receive now. I'd be happy with the min., but as I said, I'm concerned about under-selling myself, and potentially losing out to another candidate who might have more experience in this delicate matter.

I have 6 months experience directly related to the role (in a very similar role, in a very similar company), as well as a further 3 years other relevant experience (in an unrelated role), and have a total of 9 years' general work experience, all things considered (I'm 25).

Additionally, I have 2 degrees, good A-Levels, GCSEs, and one particular qualification that is highly relevant to the role. However, the role requires only A-Levels and GCSEs. I'm not concerned about being "over-qualified", as the vibes from the company are positive thus far, but I'm wondering whether or not to personally account for my other qualifications when deciding on my desired salary.

I'm currently looking to ask for a little less than halfway between the min. and max. salary. I'm not being greedy here, as even the max. salary is not particularly high (it's about 24k).

Looking at the scale of 18-24k, would 20.5k seem reasonable, given my experience (or conversely, my lack thereof!!). Or should I perhaps round it down (or up!) a little?

Any input is much appreciated, especially from people who've been in this boat themselves.

bristol_pilot

Seems about right. As a rule of thumb, I add a minimum of 15% to current salary as an asking figure. In your case, I would round it up and ask for £21k.

Not many people would change jobs for an extra £1000, so I doubt they'll just offer you the min. (You say you would be happy with the min, but they don't know that).

Anihilator

Tbh you imo wont get more than the minimum with the experience you have.

wontfallforit

Anihilator wrote: »

Tbh you imo wont get more than the minimum with the experience you have.

They quote 6 months' customer service experience as 'desirable' (as opposed to essential). I have an additional 3 years' full-time experience, 9 if you count part-time work when I was at college, etc.

The 6 months I have that I referred to in my post relates directly to the role (namely because it is pretty much the same role, different company), but the job spec itself is much wider than that, stating that work experience can be drawn from customer service experience in general.

Willsnarf1983

its one of those things that you can't really tell untill you go into the meeting and get offered the job, you have to use your instinct on these type of things

Will

NJW69

Decide what 'you' would be happy with. Why not suggest mid range which then says you are not under or over selling yourself. If there is a top point for the post then the employer 'is' prepared to pay upto this or else they wouldn't advertise this salary. They would probably be happy at mid point. Depends how confident you are and what extra you can offer them above the basic requirements. Maybe a chance to demonstrate your skills in negotiation.

Anihilator

6 months experience is nothing. It certainly wont command a salary premium

alunharford

Nobody recruits based on "but he's really cheap!". Most companies look for the best person and then look to pay them enough to join them. Normally, you should position yourself at the top of the salary range and be prepared to be negotiated down a litte. If they've explicitly said that the salary is negotiable, add 10% on.

If it's clear that you've upset them by pitching so high, say that you really want to work with them and ask them to make you an offer.

cazziebo

But the OP has considerably more than the 6 months..

I would listen to bristol-pilot's advice and pitch at least £21k. NJW might be closer to the starting block with suggesting the midpoint. If they think you are the right candidate they won't throw you off the process for a few thousand. You will be able to tell from the interviewer's reaction if they think you are being outrageous.

I suppose it depends a lot on the industry and the job. If it's a sales role, I'd be a bit disappointed if the candidate didn't pitch themselves pretty high and substantiate the bid with a good case. If it's more of a production role I'd be less bothered. When the salary is up for negotiation I expect the candidate to try. The exception to this is the raw graduate with no work experience who has unrealistic expectations and is a long way off making a productive contribution.

It's important to bear in mind it's a negotiation. Don't just pitch in a figure. Back it up with some justification. "This is an exciting opportunity and I do see me making a successful career with you. I believe I'll bring a lot to the role. I've significant useful experience and qualifications, and willing to learn more to help me do the job justice. The salary scale is blah to blah. I don't think I'm nearly at the top of the scale obviously, I believe x would be a fair starting point." I don't know the job but if you can make this case quite job specific it will be a lot stronger.

Personally my own response to this question is to try not to talk money until I have the formal offer - that's when the negotiation power is strongest. I'd be saying more "I'm sure you'll make me a good offer" But then I'm much older than you are and more battle scarred. Not sure I'd have got away with this when I was younger!

One more point - it's rare that once you're in a job you get substantial pay rises without a promotion. Most rises will be a percentage onc your salary, so every little bit you can add to your starting salary is important. Other benefits might be salary based such as pension contribution and bonuses so it's worth trying to do as well as you can.

Best of luck!

Lucy-Jane

I would always, always ask for the maximum.

They don't know you'd take less! I once had a job where I was paid more for 3 days a week than all the full timers were for 5 days - I couldn't believe none of them had negotiated.

Don't undersell yourself!

wontfallforit

cazziebo wrote: »

But the OP has considerably more than the 6 months..

Thanks for pointing that out, I can't be bothered repeating myself again

I would listen to bristol-pilot's advice and pitch at least £21k. NJW might be closer to the starting block with suggesting the midpoint. If they think you are the right candidate they won't throw you off the process for a few thousand. You will be able to tell from the interviewer's reaction if they think you are being outrageous.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna settle around 21k. I was close to it in my original estimationsand these several pieces of advice have confirmed that.

I suppose it depends a lot on the industry and the job. If it's a sales role, I'd be a bit disappointed if the candidate didn't pitch themselves pretty high and substantiate the bid with a good case. If it's more of a production role I'd be less bothered. When the salary is up for negotiation I expect the candidate to try. The exception to this is the raw graduate with no work experience who has unrealistic expectations and is a long way off making a productive contribution.

There's a strong sales element to the role, and it's very much a money-oriented environment. However, the role isn't just about sales. There's a lot of paperwork, time management skills, mobility and general customer service too. I'm confident enough to prove that I can sell (will also be armed with some recent sales stats from my current role), and am prepared for dozens of sales interview scenarios, but whether I up- or down-play the salary element will depend on how I feel the interview goes. If it's a very sales-y interview, I'll probably pitch myself a little bit more towards the max. salary, but if all the other elements of the role hold equal weighting in the interview, I'll go towards my originally designated comfort zone.

If I have one weakness in regards to what the role is asking for, it's the paperwork element. I'm totally able to do it (I hope), but most of my experience in this aspect has been from my education, whereas the rest of my experience has been in a workplace setting.

It's important to bear in mind it's a negotiation. Don't just pitch in a figure. Back it up with some justification. "This is an exciting opportunity and I do see me making a successful career with you. I believe I'll bring a lot to the role. I've significant useful experience and qualifications, and willing to learn more to help me do the job justice. The salary scale is blah to blah. I don't think I'm nearly at the top of the scale obviously, I believe x would be a fair starting point." I don't know the job but if you can make this case quite job specific it will be a lot stronger.

Thanks

Personally my own response to this question is to try not to talk money until I have the formal offer - that's when the negotiation power is strongest. I'd be saying more "I'm sure you'll make me a good offer" But then I'm much older than you are and more battle scarred. Not sure I'd have got away with this when I was younger!

Yeah, I'm just put off about talking about money in general. It's a bit crass. The interviewer seems really down to earth and open, though, so I guess it'll depend what kind of rapport we establish on the day.

Thanks again.