{"id":11676,"date":"2017-09-06T10:06:15","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T10:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migqxjzty5-staging.onrocket.site\/blog\/?p=11676"},"modified":"2022-11-15T14:44:14","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T14:44:14","slug":"how-to-negotiate-your-starting-salary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-negotiate-your-starting-salary\/","title":{"rendered":"How to negotiate your starting salary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some of us are better at talking money than others, but negotiating your starting salary can be a particularly tricky and awkward conversation to have. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Employers will rarely \u2013 if ever \u2013 offer a higher starting salary without a little bit of arm-twisting, so it\u2019s crucial you know how much your skills and experience might be worth to them if you want to find a starting point for your negotiations. \u00a0If you run your CV through Adzuna\u2019s handy <\/span>ValueMyCV<\/span><\/a> tool, you\u2019ll be able to get a pretty good idea where you stand when the dreaded <\/span>\u2018What are your salary expectations?\u2019<\/span><\/i> question rears its head.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to get the most from your starting salary negotiations, here\u2019s a seven-step guide to help you open a dialogue and maximise your earning potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to negotiate your starting salary<\/h1>\n
    \n
  1. Know how much you’re worth before you start (with ValueMyCV)<\/li>\n
  2. Know the industry average with salary stats<\/li>\n
  3. Understand what the job entails<\/li>\n
  4. Know your limits<\/li>\n
  5. Back up your request<\/li>\n
  6. Prepare to be patient<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. Know how much you\u2019re worth before you start<\/b> \u2013 There\u2019s no point plucking a number out the air. \u00a0Run your CV through Adzuna\u2019s ValueMyCV tool to get a realistic picture of what your skillset might be worth to an employer. \u00a0As the industry\u2019s most accurate salary calculator, ValueMyCV will mean you\u2019ll walk into negotiations with a pretty sound idea of your own value to your new employer.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Know the industry average<\/b> \u2013 Is the salary they\u2019re offering below or at the industry average? \u00a0If you think they\u2019re undervaluing the role, you need to negotiate hard. \u00a0You can use the Adzuna website to find out what the UK average is for similar roles, simply by searching our <\/span>Salary Stats<\/span><\/a> pages for the job title you\u2019re interested in.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Understand what the job entails <\/b>\u2013 Make sure you\u2019ve read the job description in minute detail and compare it to other similar positions advertised with Adzuna. \u00a0Are they expecting more than other firms? \u00a0If you think the scope of the role merits a bigger salary, highlight what you think the additional responsibilities you will be taking on are.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. Know your limits <\/b>\u2013 Conduct some thorough research into average company salaries and salaries in the geographical area, so you have a rough idea of the \u2018bracket\u2019 you ought to fall into. \u00a0Know in your own mind just how low you\u2019d be willing to go, and just how high you might be able to push them. \u00a0You have to have a \u2018walk-away\u2019 point pencilled in before you start negotiating.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Back up your request <\/b>\u2013 They\u2019re not going to simply hand over the cash just because you asked nicely. \u00a0Make sure you can back up your request with solid facts and figures \u2013 be ready to provide examples of your skills and experience in action, perhaps with sales stats, stories about your leadership capabilities or examples of how you\u2019ve done additional training and upskilling over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

    6. Prepare to be patient<\/b> \u2013 They\u2019re unlikely to agree to your suggested salary on the spot. \u00a0In fact, the person opposite you might have no say and power over the final decision at all, so be prepared to play a waiting game. \u00a0You might have to sit nervously by your phone for the next couple of days, but be patient.<\/span><\/p>\n

    7.<\/b>Look for alternatives<\/b> \u2013 Even if they cannot offer you anything more in the way of pay, you might be able to negotiate a better benefits package instead. \u00a0For instance, if the higher salary is off the table, could you ask for additional annual leave?<\/span><\/p>\n

    Remember, if you never ask, you\u2019ll never get. \u00a0Having invested the time and effort in taking you this far through the recruitment process, your potential employer is highly unlikely to abandon everything now and begin all over again. \u00a0To get this far, you\u2019re clearly their number one choice and they\u2019re likely to bend over backwards to stop you walking away.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Make use of what’s available<\/h3>\n

    Chances are you\u2019ve slogged it out through a long interview process and, having only just secured the job, the last thing you want to do is rock the boat too much. But when it comes to negotiating your starting salary, you\u2019re the one holding most of the cards. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t undersell yourself for the sake of a reluctance to talk cold, hard cash. \u00a0Every skill you have and every day\u2019s experience under your belt boosts the price tag you can attach to your CV, and most employers would rather haggle with you and keep you sweet than watch the best candidates walk away. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The key is to know your own worth and never undersell yourself. \u00a0Make use of Adzuna\u2019s ValueMyCV<\/a> tool now to get an accurate picture of how much your skills and experience might mean to them, and use that knowledge as leverage when you walk into those all-important negotiations. \u00a0With a little hard bargaining and perseverance, you could find yourself with a great deal which truly reflects the value of your CV.<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Some of us are better at talking money than others, but negotiating your starting salary can be a particularly tricky and awkward conversation to have. \u00a0 Employers will rarely \u2013 if ever \u2013 offer a higher starting salary without a little bit of arm-twisting, so it\u2019s crucial you know how much your skills and experience Continued \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pay-benefits"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11676\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}