Negotiating salary

k3lvc

I've worked my life in private sector and over the past couple of years have looked at Civil Service roles using experience/transferrable skills.

The salary conundrum has always been an issue and TBH if you've got to the stage of an offer and not set your stall out I think you'll be disappointed.

In my experience the scales tend to be fairly fixed and many ads will state something along the lines of 'starting salary will generally be at the base level unless in the case of exceptional experience/specialist knowledge' - my suspicion would be if you have to apply for a role you'll always be at the lower end whereas if you're approached/they find you there's more flexibility.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

theoretica

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.

Are you valuing the pension when calculating that your current package is higher?  Because your negotiation will be more convincing if you have clearly taken everything into account.

motorguy

CaptainWales said:

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? 

IME - and in line with whats being said on here - i think their offer is a take it or leave it one.

You can certainly counter offer but you'd definitely want to do so in a way that can leave their offer on the table if you want to consider it.

To me a Civil Service role is about the long term benefits not the short term gain.

CaptainWales

Hi all.
As so many of you rightly predicted, they have stuck to the bottom of the pay band. They are not willing to increase at all.
I find this incredibly frustrating. Feel like I've wasted my time and their time. Why advertise a pay range if the reality is that anybody externally will start at the bottom?! At the very least they should say that on the job advert. Also why invite me to put forward a counter offer?! Puts me off ever applying to the CS again.
Rant over, guess I just have to try and move on.

techwatcher

Sorry that this didn't work out for you.
Did they actually invite you to put forward a counter offer? 

CaptainWales

Yes, and then still came back with bottom of the band, take it or leave it! 
Really  disappointed as would have liked to take the job.

TELLIT01

The person asking you to put forward a figure almost certainly wouldn't be the person making the decision and may have thought there was some flexibility.  The reality is that the Civil Service really isn't any better to work for than any other organisation, public or private.  Only those at the top of the tree get things like gold plated pensions, and it is their numbers which artificially skew the average salary figures.

74jax

CaptainWales said:

Hi all.
As so many of you rightly predicted, they have stuck to the bottom of the pay band. They are not willing to increase at all.
I find this incredibly frustrating. Feel like I've wasted my time and their time. Why advertise a pay range if the reality is that anybody externally will start at the bottom?! At the very least they should say that on the job advert. Also why invite me to put forward a counter offer?! Puts me off ever applying to the CS again.
Rant over, guess I just have to try and move on.

Thank you for updating us, I'm really sorry it didn't work out but thank you for letting us know the outcome regardless.
I know it can be a little daunting for some, but at interview I would always 'somehow' get into conversation the salary expectations.  If there's a banding then a simple 'I know the advert stated a banding, however I would be looking at starting on xyz on the scale'.  You can word it however you like but it could save a lot of back and forth.  

k3lvc

CaptainWales said:

Hi all.
As so many of you rightly predicted, they have stuck to the bottom of the pay band. They are not willing to increase at all.
I find this incredibly frustrating. Feel like I've wasted my time and their time. Why advertise a pay range if the reality is that anybody externally will start at the bottom?! At the very least they should say that on the job advert. Also why invite me to put forward a counter offer?! Puts me off ever applying to the CS again.
Rant over, guess I just have to try and move on.

I've just checked a random selection of roles in my daily search from them - 4 out of 5 state clearly on the front page 'New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band' - maybe there's a difference in approach between depts but not sure how the ones that have shown it could make it any clearer

CaptainWales

Unfortunately this was one of those jobs which didn't state that!