Negotiating salary

CaptainWales

Hello folks

Hope somebody can help me.

I've been offered a job with the civil service (yay!) although the initial offer is much lower than my current salary.   The top of the band though is higher than my current salary.

Anybody got any tips on how I go about making them an initial offer towards the top end? I dont want to sound like a di*k! I do genuinely think based on my experiences my salary should be towards the top end of the band.

Thanks.

Sandtree

How does the total reward package compare?

Are you currently public sector or private? Urban legend has always said that civil service don't pay great salary compared to private sector but job stability, pension etc all provide a significant counter balance.

CaptainWales

Private sector and my overall benefits package is higher than what they have offered.

Current job is pretty stable. Civil service pension on offer is higher though.

Sandtree

Firstly you have to ask yourself how much you want this job and then what is the minimum wage you'd work it for.

If its a take or leave it thing then you can be more bullish but the "yay" suggests its some form of aspiration for you. Ultimately you need to remind them how you feel your experience/qualifications measures up against the ask, advise what your current salary/reward package is and come back with a counter offer. The more you want it, the closer the counter offer should be to the minimum you'll accept.

I cannot say about the civil service but the last time I was a perm in a large company the salary for a "Technical Professional 2" was £20,000 to £60,000 but not all TP2 jobs are equal and so a team manager in claims would be a TP2 but doubt any were on over £30k.  On the flip side a Senior Business Analyst would also be a TP2 and none will have been on under £30k. So its possible that whilst the role is aligned to a band that there is no possibility of hitting the upper end of it with this role.

Gavin83

CaptainWales said:

Private sector and my overall benefits package is higher than what they have offered.

Current job is pretty stable. Civil service pension on offer is higher though.

How much higher? How is the current benefits package better?

Ultimately it’s no different to any other negotiation though. You can ask for what you want and they can say either yes or no. If it’s the civil service though they’ll likely be pretty set in what they wish to pay.

thebrexitunicorn

It’s quite likely that there is no discretion to offer anything other than the bottom of the pay band to new starts, and no scope for negotiation.  I know that this is true for many civil service roles.  

Andy_L

Most (all?) departments in the CS dont have anual increments to take you up the band anymore, the bottom salary advertised is the "rate for the job" and you are stuck on it forever and promotion is the only way to get nore
IIRC the unions raised it with advertising  standards but they got away with it because there were people being paid the top rate and you could, theoretically, progress to it via inflation increases.

ETA: ASA judgement
https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/home-office-a17-381756.html

74jax

Are you willing to move for what they have offered you? If you are not you might find it easier to negotiate.

At interview were salary expectations ever mentioned?

So you have attended interview, had a call to offer you the job and you now have the contract to negotiate?

This is how pretty much all my job moves have gone, other than I've always mentioned the salary I would move for (to save time more than anything else really).

Just drop an email back.... thanks for contract etc, having looked it over and compared it with your current package, you would like the following to be looked at, and then mention salary. Simply saying your current salary is xzy, and you would be looking to move for a salary no less than abc and list full and complete reasons..... At interview I mentioned....... To back up your request. 

How long is the negotiation period? Mine has only really ever been 5 working days before the contract is finalised (unless I've asked it to be legally looked over, where I managed to get an extention). 

There will have others from interview they have not rejected yet, so will be keen to get an offer accepted and let everyone know the outcome. 

TELLIT01

thebrexitunicorn said:

It’s quite likely that there is no discretion to offer anything other than the bottom of the pay band to new starts, and no scope for negotiation.  I know that this is true for many civil service roles.  

Basically that. A figure will be offered and it's broadly take it or leave it. The OP doesn't say what grade they are going in at, but irrespective of that there is currently almost no chance of moving up the pay scale.  Pay bands will often be moved at the same rate as pay rises i.e. 1% payrise (if you are lucky) will be matched by a 1% uplift in the pay band.

CaptainWales

Thanks all for the really useful and thought provoking comments.

My total reward package is higher than what they have offered. I would like to accept the role but not if it means I'm worse off.

No salary discussions during the interview although when I rang to enquire about the role before applying they did say that it was a pay band which I took to mean that there was scope to come in above the bottom end of the scale.

I will be making a counter offer, it's just whether I pitch it at what I would like to get or pitch it at what they are likely to accept. Is there a downside in putting forward what I would like? Always think its easier to negotiate down rather than up. My worry is that they will just say no and pull the job offer.  

Also - anybody know what civil servants pay increases normally are? Pretty low I gather, so perhaps even more of an incentive for me to get a good salary now? 

TELLIT01

There is no harm in asking and they certainly won't offer more than you ask so you might want to risk pitching high.  In many areas of the civil service payrises have been 1% or less for many years.  That isn't 1% on top of 'cost of living', it's 1% and many grades haven't even had that.  It's a few years since I retired but at that time most staff at Exec Officer and higher were getting absolutely nothing.  EO is team leader level.