When you apply for a role these days there’s often not a set figure stated in the job ad, besides something like “competitive salary” or “attractive remuneration”, and one reason for this is because clients don’t want to miss out on talent for the sake of advertising a salary that could be just below what their ideal candidate is looking for. Sometimes, especially with start-ups, they’re a little unsure themselves of the true market rates for certain roles and prefer to leave this detail off an advert. The problem this throws up is whether you state the salary you earn with your current employer or the salary you’d like to receive in your next role. Much like the employer, here is where you can also state that you are negotiable on salary, (though you may need to give a range to ensure no one’s time is being wasted).

Once you’ve progressed through the various interview stages you should have gained a good understanding of the role and your new employer will equally have a good idea of your abilities and what you can bring to the table. All being well, an offer will now be made and in order to accept, you need to be sure you’re happy with everything and won’t find yourself back on the job market in 6 months. If you believe you deserve the higher end of the pay range that either you or the employer has stated, be prepared to back up why you feel it’s justifiable. For example, are you taking on considerably more responsibility than in your previous role or performing a very technical role that no one else in the business has the skills to cover or support you with? If you want to achieve a higher salary than you previously earned, this is the time to negotiate. Remember that for your employer, this is a business transaction and it’s unlikely to be the first time they’ve had to enter into discussions on payments for a service. As long as you’re professional, polite and can support why you’re asking for the salary you are, it won’t reflect on you in a bad light, there really is no reason to feel awkward or worried about discussing your expectations. All clients of course have limits to their salary budgets, and it may be that the first offer made is the best they can do considering factors like their profitability and current pay scales throughout the business. If this is the case and there’s no room for negotiation on the salary figure you were hoping for, but it still meets your bottom line, it’s important to then enquire about any benefits the employer provides as the offer could in fact be more rewarding than first thought. If, for example, they offer flexible working with some days being done remotely from a home office, that could make a big difference to your travel expenses meaning you can afford to somewhat reduce your salary requirements. Is equity or stock options on offer? If the role offers commission or performance related bonus, find out how this is calculated and when and how often it’s paid out. Finally, if the salary offered made is not open to negotiation, enquire about when salary reviews are carried out. Perhaps you can negotiate to have yours as soon as you complete your probation period, meaning you won’t have to wait the usual 12 months for a salary increase once you’ve proved your abilities and value to the business.