Interview Process
Preparing for your interview
At the interview
Questions you may be asked at the interview
Questions to ask at the interview
What to expect at a second interview
Negotiating your remuneration package
Negotiating your remuneration package
It’s always wise to leave negotiating salary and any benefits package until you’ve been offered the position. The reason being once your future employer has decided that you’re the employee for them you are in a much stronger negotiating position. Negotiating is not just about money and benefits; it is about negotiating the whole contract. This gives the perception that you know your worth and that you are not prepared to settle for just any old offer but without being over the top). This might not be exactly what your employer wants, on the basis that they will be paying you more than they really want to, but it will show that you have good negotiating qualities and it is likely that you will apply these to the position once you are in it – it’s a good quality to have. There’s little point in trying to squeeze every penny out of them as you might end up losing the position at the last minute – something you won’t want to do due to greed. Unless you aren’t prepared to take the position under a certain salary level you need to make sure you ask them what they can afford;
- If a salary range has been advertised or quoted to you can reasonably expect to get the top end of the range as long as you can demonstrate you are worth it
- If an approximate salary has been quoted we believe there’s probably about 10% leeway
- If the position is one where the salary is in a set pay scale where there is no flexibility you can always negotiate with the benefits package
Remember that the more valuable you can demonstrate to your employer that your services are then the better chance you will have of negotiating your way to the higher level of the salary bracket. So how do you prove this? Well your qualifications are always a good start. If you have more qualifications than were originally advertised for the position then that’s a plus point. You will definitely need to prepare some justifications for asking top dollar you could use some examples such as:
- “I hold 6 AFPC qualifications and a Certified Financial Planner, and looking to progress further ”
- “The recruitment specialist stressed that 4 years experience was required for the position, I have 8 years which includes twelve months of pure lead generation”
At the end of the day you have been offered the position because the employer thinks that you can bring more to the table than any of the other candidates so you presumably have above average qualities, all you need to do is identify them and then use them in your negotiating techniques. Also don’t forget to ask for assistance from your recruitment consultant during negotiations.
Salary Variables
Variables are all of the other factors that are not necessarily salary orientated. They are things such as holiday entitlement, luncheon vouchers, expenses, performance related bonuses, commission, overtime, profit sharing, private health insurance, share options, childcare contribution, sports/gym facilities, company car, mobile phone, rail or travel ticket and non contributory pension. This list is not exhaustive and it would be fairly unrealistic to ask for all of these benefits, the best thing to do is choose maybe two or three that are most important to you. It may be that your employer doesn’t want to provide a company car but he may be prepared to finance your travel to and from work so compromise is as always the golden rule.
The offer letter
When you have agreed and finalised everything with your new employer they will issue you with a letter formally offering you the position. This letter should outline the following areas clearly:
- The position that is being offered
- The salary, bonuses, pension contribution and P11D benefits
- The commencement date of employment
- The location
- Any conditions which the offer is subject to
- The timescale and procedure for acceptance or rejection of the offer
Once you’ve received this and it is all correct so all you now need to do is to respond to the letter clearly agreeing the terms in the format and outlined as above as it will be legally binding.
The contract
Once you have signed the offer letter to accept the position it will then be followed by a formal contract. Read through this thoroughly and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask you new employer for clarification. Then, sign and return a copy and keep a copy for your records.
Declining an offer
You have been offered the job, but you have decided that it is not for you. If that is the case then you should let the employer know politely and turn them down in a professional manner. It is prudent to remember that you never know when your paths might cross again.
