Tips for negotiating the best starting salary

Know your value

Prior to the interview, research the company and salary range for the position you are applying for. Conduct a salary research so you can understand your market value by:

• Comparing salaries in job adverts – remember different locations might attract higher or lower wages
• Checking out online salary surveys (e.g. www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/salary.htm)
• Contacting people in the same job or industry to ask what other companies pay.

This is a complex and challenging interview question. Some think that if they quote a high figure they may be disqualified and so they agree to any offer regardless. They may say ‘the salary is not the part that interests me – what is important for me is the actual job’. This sort of response suggests the applicant has low self esteem and as a matter of fact is counter productive and leaves a negative impression on the interviewer.
Low self esteem can also be demonstrated in an opposite manner. An applicant may think that if they quote a very high figure, well above the industry average, it may cause the interviewer to think that the applicant is of high calibre and experience. This tactic may work if the current situation in the market is one in which there is high ‘demand’ for employees and little ‘supply’. However, most often it may also indicate a certain level of insecurity on the applicant’s side.

An interviewer will want to discuss salary as early as possible so they do not waste time with someone they cannot afford. They may also like to dwell on your past salary, in order to keep your salary expectations low. You need to delay the talk of salary as long as possible until you can convince them that you are the person they need. So:

• Avoiding discussing salary until you have a job offer. If you do, you could price yourself out of a job.
• Get the employer to disclose salary before you do.
• Do not disclose past salary. If pushed for a figure, you could say, ‘but of course, I wouldn’t accept that figure at today’s rate of pay’ or ‘but I took that lower wage in lieu of training’. Alternatively, ensure you include the entire value of the package that you received – not just the basic salary.
• If pressed by the interviewers about desired salary, try ‘What kind of salary range are you working with?’ or ‘I’d like to make as much as other employees with my qualifications’ or ‘What is a typical salary for this position?’ or ‘Until I learn more about the responsibilities I cannot make a meaningful suggestion, but will consider a reasonable offer’. Another strategy is name a pay range instead.

Sell your skills

Be prepared to talk about the skills and accomplishments that support the value you consider yourself to have.

Establish your target salary and absolute bottom line

Before you go into an interview, decide what salary you want to earn and what you are willing to settle for. It should be noticeably higher than what you earn now.

Your target salary should be at least 10–15% higher than the minimum salary you’d be willing to accept as this gives you some margin for negotiation. If you come down you should still end up with a salary at or higher than your minimum level.

Don’t be afraid to add extras into your wish list during the negotiation phase – you can then drop these if necessary to appear flexible.

Take into account the whole package

When presented with an offer, include:

• Basic pay
• Bonuses
• Company car
• Gym membership
• Shares/stock options
• Health plans
• Pension schemes
• Maternity/paternity allowances
• Life/health insurance
• Travel allowances and cost of traveling to work
• Meal reimbursement/discounts
• Clothing allowances
• Holiday allowances
• Other staff discount schemes
• Training provision/discount schemes
• Frequent flier/hotel points saving schemes.

There can be a wide discrepancy between a basic salary and the value of the total package – so ensure you are seeing the complete picture.

Psychometric tests can and should be practiced!

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• Personality questionnaires analyzed by the position you are applying to.

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Psychometric tests for recruitment

Psychometric tests used in assessment centres and recruitment processes are lengthy and probably the most complex battery of  tests used in the market. Such tests usually include a series of unfamiliar and challenging aptitude and personality tests that raise tension and stress levels in most applicants. Most UK employers and other European companies use psychometric tests for their candidate screening processes, knowing that the best way to predict a candidate’s future performance is by analyzing his psychometric profile.

Preparing for a psychometric test will improve your results and strengthen your psychological state of mind, increasing your chances of success when applying for your desired job.

Recruiting the wrong person can be a very expensive mistake! Conversely, recruiting the right person can transform an organisation for the better. Some personal characteristics, such as team-working skills, reasoning ability and personal empathy, are difficult to assess at interview and testing can be a more reliable indicator. Importantly, psychometric tests can minimise recruitment bias on the basis of gender, race and disability and may also allow the interview to be tailored for the individual. In short, these tests can make the recruitment process fairer to the employer and the applicant.

Types of test

Ability/aptitude tests

These are designed to assess the skills/knowledge you possess that are important for the job and come in many forms. With technical jobs, they might involve specialist questioning or practical testing. You would probably be told beforehand if this kind of test were to be conducted, so you can prepare by

• Finding out what you will be tested on
• Revising it
• Looking at sample questions
• Doing practice tests

Some aptitude tests may assess your potential to learn rather than testing specific skills. These are usually multiple-choice questionnaires, with definite right and wrong answers, and your work is generally timed. The most common types of aptitude tests include:

• Numerical tests, which test your mental agility and how quickly you understand numbers. It may be worth reminding yourself of times tables, percentages, fractions and long multiplication. You may be asked to complete a sequence of numbers, state the largest fraction or interpret date tables.
• Verbal tests, which may assess how you respond to written text. For example, you may be presented with a paragraph of text and asked to interpret the information.
• Logical reasoning, which usually involves spotting patterns. Practice reading complicated texts about subjects you do not understand. Practice extracting the main points from passages of information and summarizing their meaning.

Personality/motivation questionnaires

These measure your attitude, motivation and work style. These tests are designed to assess your typical behaviour, preferred way of doing things and how you are likely to behave in various situations. Employers use them to help them find people with characteristics that may be particularly suitable for a particular position.

Tips

• Be yourself, as you don’t know exactly what qualities the interviewers are looking for. They may be looking for a variety of different personalities rather than just one profile. Personality questionnaires usually contain checks to test whether or not you are being consistent, so try to answer as honestly as you can.
• Put down the answers that immediately spring to mind, rather than spending time pondering their meaning.
• Do not worry about your answers. Your interview and CV also provide important information about you, so your tests results will not represent the be all and end all.
• As there are no right or wrong answers in personality tests, you can’t revise for them. However, to ensure you don’t suffer from last minute nerves, you can undertake some practice questionnaires ahead of your interview, which are available free-of-charge from many websites.

General advice for taking psychometric tests

• Get a good night’s sleep the evening before the test and plan to arrive in good time, with a positive frame of mind.
• Inform the administrator if you are on medication that makes you drowsy.
• Read the questions carefully.
• The test may have some practice questions at the start. Make sure you understand these thoroughly before the test itself begins and, if you do not, ask the administrator to explain them.
• If you have a disability and require special provisions, you should contact the employer in advance.
• If you get stuck on a question, move on to the next one. However, do not abandon a question prematurely, if with a few extra seconds you might have solved it.
• If you change your answer, make sure your final choice is clear.
• Don’t waste time checking each answer thoroughly until you are absolutely convinced it is right.
• If you are not sure of an answer, put down your best guess and move on. However, avoid wild guessing – especially if marks are taken off for wrong answers.

Don’t forget…

Ask for feedback on your test results. Even if you are not hired, it can be useful to learn a bit more about yourself and how you come across to others. Asking demonstrates that you consider their tests to be important and useful.