You are on the hunt for a new job. Maybe you have some interviews lined up. More often than not you know your own ability. And whether you fit with the job requirements that are advertised for the role. However it can be hard to know when and how to negotiate pay. If a job has not listed the pay bracket.
More often than not companies choose not to disclose the pay expectations of the advertised role. This is to get a range of suitable applicants applying. And sometimes the pay can be very negotiable depending on an applicants skill set.
With that in mind kiwis in general have a tendency to not disclose their pay expectations, or not be as willing to negotiate. Realistically for the right candidate a company will negotiate the pay, if the future employee has expectations within the expected pay range. So how should you approach pay negotiations when applying and interviewing for jobs? Shopless investigates.
Become Familiar With How The Move will Affect You
If you are already employed and looking to move on to a new role. Or if you have the ability to approach the job with careful consideration, (not desperate or in need of a job). Then it is important to familiarise yourself with the benefits that are being offered in the role you are interviewing for.
Learn the perks of your current role, including any benefits such as health insurance, travel costs etc. And compare and contrast this with the role you are interviewing or applying for. If the role offers a similar pay to your current position, is it less travel time and more work life balance? Or does it come with benefits that you may really utilise. Even comparing things such as the size of the potential team you are working with This will give you perspective on how the move will affect you, and subsequently offer perspective on what salary will benefit you as a new employee.
Research Industry Standard Pay
You may be very experienced in your industry, or just a newbie. But going into a job interview with an understanding of what the role tends to pay will give you an advantage for pay negotiation. Glassdoor is a helpful resource for this that not only gives you an estimation of the pay bracket of the role. But also gives an insight into what individuals in various companies earn. It is important to be mindful that some roles may not have a lot of reviews on the platform. So it should only be used as a gauge.
It is also important to note that when a company says they will pay the ‘industry standard for a role’ this may be different from your own research. So doing research actually helps you to grasp if you are going into a business that knows that industry. And is a business that is prepared to offer a reasonable rate for the right candidate.
Enquire about a Pay Scale Early On
Some sources may suggest waiting until further through the process to bring up pay. However some companies already have a set budget for the said role. And the hiring manager may be aware of this bracket. If you are going through a process with multiple stages of interview, it does not damage your reputation to enquire early on what the pay range may be. You do not need to disclose your own expectations until you are further through the process.
If it is a long interview process you may not want to get to the final interview to discover that the pay on offer does not fit with your expectations. If you ask early either HR will choose not to disclose this or the earlier interviewers may be transparent.
Be Confident About What You Want
Pay is often a topic people avoid, regardless of experience or expertise. They will accept the immediate offer of a company or they don’t go in prepared to negotiate. Salary expectations will be on an employer’s mind particularly when they have narrowed down their candidates. Prepare for the salary question as you would for other questions and you don’t have to accept an offer in an interview. Always be prepared to go away and think about the offer it comes about.
Part of the reason we fear negotiations is we don’t want to show up as a less attractive candidate. However, particularly in specialised jobs or roles that require more experience the employer is usually prepared to negotiate higher to get the right fit.
Being prepared for the pay question is possibly the most important aspect of negotiations in a job interview. There are even numerous youtube videos that offer help and practice for this part of an interview. If you are in the process of hunting for a job, or looking for a new employee. Shopless is an online marketplace that can help you find what you are looking for. Visit our jobs section here.