So, you’ve received a job offer and you’re trying to negotiate your package. You want to try and make this a fast and painless process where both parties are happy. It is important that both sides understand each other’s perspective and are willing to provide some leeway for comprising through negotiating. If you’re working through negotiations with a recruiter, all negotiations or job offers will be through them. They will be able to help and advise appropriately on the correct action to take. As negotiating a job offer can be a sensitive topic, having a recruiter can be a real benefit to you to manage the negotiations.   

This blog will give you a better understanding of the overall negotiation process.  

Before Negotiating a Job Offer 

Who’s in a better position to negotiate? 

In the current weak labour market, employees can be in a better position to negotiate. It can be extremely difficult for companies to attract talented individuals who are fully qualified for the job vacancies. You should review how matched you are for the job to weigh up your bargaining power. 

Have a well thought out job expectation 

You wouldn’t ask for a raise without good evidence or reason that you’re worth the extra money, why should job offers be any different. Show the company why you deserve the offer you are requesting. Think of the overall offer , not just the salary, as features of this offer will affect job satisfaction and how long you actually stay at the company. Your negotiation skills at the beginning of your job can set a mark for how you will progress in your career at this current role. Will you start your job content with your job offer? Think about the bigger picture.  

Other aspects of the job offer which you should think about: 

Location, travel, responsibilities, flexible working, working from home, career opportunities, bonus, extra benefits, support for further personal and professional development. 

Don’t just think about achieving the most out of the offer now, you want to have a long-term plan, to be rewarded when you are successful or do something well. Otherwise, it can be harder to maintain motivation and after the initial excitement of getting many of the perks wished at once from the negotiations, you may think, “what am I working towards?”. 

Guidelines to follow when in a negotiation: 

1.       Be persistent without being a nuisance 

2.       Find problems without being petty 

3.       Fair value without being greedy 

Think About the Job Process So Far

Rapport 

It’s extremely important that you present yourself as a valuable asset to the company. It’s important to start from a good perspective in the interviewer’s view. 

Understand the negotiator 

Understand their concerns and what they are expecting of you. You must figure out what areas they can be flexible in and where they are not. Try to avoid annoying the negotiator as this could be your future manager or boss. With a hiring manager, they may have set salary packages which they could be reluctant to change. On the other hand, if you’re directly negotiating with the boss, it could be a case of negotiating your value to the company. Using a recruiter would help manage everyone’s expectations in the negotiations, they would be able to advise if you’re being too ambitious with your demands.  

Negotiation Expectations 

Constraints on salary 

When a company has a number of people in the same job, they may be reluctant to move on salary as then they may have to change everyone’s remuneration package. But the company may be flexible on start dates, vacation allowance, and bonuses. In addition, small company’s also will have limited resources or capital to offer adjustments in your job offer. Of course, all companies vary depending on their situation. 

Tough questions 

Questions may be asked to assess your interest in the role, if you’re trying to see what’s the most you can get in the offer, then turn it down. You’re treading on rocky ground, if you’re working with a recruiter, they will be able to advise and help you through the negotiation process. 

The company may question your ability which could cause you to be on the defensive side of the negotiation. This could expose weaknesses in your ability thus reducing your chances of achieving the amendments to a job offer. 

Show Confidence 

Ensure you’ve made it clear you want the job and will, in the end, say yes to the job offer. No one is going to fight for your offer, go through many phone calls of negotiations if in the end you say no. This would waste everyone’s time involved in negotiating the job offer. So, ensure you know what you want before showing interest in changing jobs.  

Job Offer Negotiation Strategies 

Negotiated issues simultaneously 

If you’ve planned correctly, you know what parts of the role you may be uncomfortable with. When negotiating ensure you mention all the potential challenges simultaneously, it will give you a better position to make adjustments to your job offer, rather later in the process asking for something else to be changed. 

What method to use? 

It’s unlikely that you will negotiate in person or through a letter format. If you’re working with a recruiter, you’d contact the recruiter and they would contact the company on your behalf to negotiate the terms. Mostly, all negotiations will be done over the phone and confirmed through email communications. You may receive a job offer in letter format but it’s unlikely that any negotiations would take this format as it would take too long to come to an agreement.  

The negotiation of a job offer can be a tricky part of the job process. It can usually be easier when a recruiter is involved for advice and guidance. But it’s important to be prepared for what is involved in the negotiation process or you could risk not receiving a job offer at all.

If you’re currently seeking a job or need career guidance, please contact us at hello@corvus.jobs for friendly confidential advice. 

 It is important to regularly evaluate your career health – even when you are happy in your role. It can re-energize and reboot your motivation to understand what you want. Career satisfaction should be important to everyone as most of us spend around 40+ hours a week working. Who wants to spend their whole day hating their job and only looking forward to the drive home? Not me! Here are 14 signs you need to change your job: 

  

Sunday Night Dread 

It’s Friday and the weekend is here, this is the best part of your whole week! Sunday evening arrives and you realise you have work in the morning. The fear starts to set in and you’re trying to talk yourself out of calling in sick. This is a clear sign of unhappiness! It’s time to change jobs or think of how you can change your current role into something you would look forward to. What makes your role so distressing? Management, tight deadlines… etc. the list can go on but you need a change! 

 

High Attrition Rates In Your Company 

If this is not common in your industry, you should really look at your company and think “what is going wrong?”. People are not happy for a reason and you need to know why! Therefore, exit interviews are something every HR department should consider. To ensure they understand their business’ culture and why staff are not sticking around.  

  

Lack Of Professional Development 

If your career objectives are to improve, learn and progress which are not being fulfilled in your current role or if there is a lack of a structured training programme you will want to look for an employer who will invest in you. 

  

Recruiters or Head-hunters Are After You 

When you’re contacted by a recruiter, there are new jobs in the market that your skills set are matching. Even if you don’t feel like changing roles it is always good to look at the job description to compare your current contract - you may even realise you’re underpaid!  

Having a look at job roles could show you new opportunities to use skills you can’t use in your current job. Although, note all employers feel loyalty is an important quality in employees, ensure you are not floating from one job to another. You need to stay at your job long enough to gain experience and to be considered a quality candidate for recruitment. No one wants an employee who will leave after a month! 

Learn more about why working with a specialist recruiter could benefit you  

  

Are You Constantly Making Excuses? 

“I’ll put up with this for a few months and then look for a new role”, “I’ll never get my dream job” and “I don’t have time to look for another job”. If these are some of the excuses you tell yourself, it’s time to start searching for a job. When colleagues aren’t listening to your ideas or you’re feeling undervalued, these can be easy to brush off for ‘a few months’. However, it can take months to change jobs, start as early as possible to see what opportunities are available. 

Read: Ultimate job search guide to Northern Ireland 

  

Work Is Affecting Your Health 

Your work-related stress is affecting your health, either physically or mentally, a job should not knock years off your life. If you’re constantly negative and unhappy, you should already know it’s time to change jobs. One tip I would recommend is informing management why you are leaving so the same problem does not affect other employees in your company. It’s time for that company to make some changes. 

  

Your Workload Has Increased 

Often workloads can increase and even cut time in your personal life. If this is only temporary to meet a big deadline, don’t worry about it. On the other hand, if it’s a permanent change and you have not been compensated in other ways, be it money or promotion. It’s time to make a complaint or change jobs! 

  

You Are Ready for Something New 

Sometimes you just know you are ready for a change of scenery. Listen to your gut, the earlier you realise you need a change, the faster you can make it happen! This can increase your motivation and improve your attitude in your work. 

  

Broken Promises 

When a company promises additional responsibility, a pay raise or other benefits but does not follow through it can be difficult to challenge this in work. While you still want your promises, you don’t want to poke the hornet’s nest. It could be time to change jobs! If your company can’t be loyal to you, why should you be loyal to them? 

  

Personal Changes 

You can’t predict what will happen tomorrow, never mind in a year. You may want less of a commute time, the option for home-working, realise you want a change of scenery or reduced hours. Do what is right for you and your personal circumstances. It can be easy to fall into a difficult work situation where you are pushing yourself too hard to please others.   

  

Company Instability 

If your company is going through an unstable time with redundancies, reduced benefits or a lack of sales? These are all signs that a company is under pressure. Talk to management to find out what is going on to check the safety of your job in the company. This could be time to start searching for a job, especially if you have a family support on your wage. Protect yourself and start searching. 

  

Company culture 

Company politics can often create a difficult culture to work in. Does your company respect and care for its staff? Your culture can help retain your employees. Staff benefits, clear communication, approachable management and team bonding activities are all features of good work culture. If your company is lacking these features, I can see why you’re unhappy! It’s time for your next career move. 

  

Lack of Career Advancement 

Often people reach a ceiling with their current employer where they see no room to grow – their Line Manager may have been there forever with no sign of leaving or may have been a peer who has been promoted above them.  

  

Line Manager 

One of the leading causes in why people start to consider new opportunities.  Either they feel they are being poorly managed, overlooked or not given a voice or input to what could make their role and the company better.  Remember people don’t tend to leave their companies – they leave their managers. 

  

Changing your job can feel daunting. Especially when you realise the difficulties of trying to search for a job around your current employer. You don’t want to show signs of disloyalty, but you know your attitude is changing. If this sounds like you, why not upload your CV in confidence to find out what opportunities are available in your industry. Our recruiters can contact you at a convenient time to discuss your next move.  

Top Tip: Review your job’s health twice a year to maintain your job satisfaction. 

Interviewers are looking for a lot of things in an interview, but the following 7 aspects are the key features which make a lasting impression. Give yourself the best chance in your interview by preparing the following: 

Confidence 

Believe in yourself and what you’re saying. It’s difficult for an interviewer to believe in your ability or picture you in the business when you’re not confident in your own ability. An interviewer wants to give you an opportunity; don’t give them a reason to not give you the job. Present yourself as a capable, authentic professional who is not out of their depth. 

The key to building confidence for an interview is preparation. 

Preparation 

Everyone knows the phrase ‘If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail’. It’s generally true in terms of interviews, being unprepared shows a lack of interest or ability to do the job. The purpose of an interview is to show a company you’re capable of doing the job and are interested in working for that company. Use bullet points to learn information rather than paragraphs as paragraphs will sound rehearsed and thus not natural. 

Learn more about preparing with our blog ‘How to prepare for an interview.’ 

Open to Learning New Things 

Interviewers like to know that you won’t be resistant to change, most jobs require someone who is able to adapt to the company’s way of doing things. This could be in the form of using a new technical tool, software application or process. An interviewer may also want to see that you’re willing to proactively explore what’s new in the industry, learn new things and go to networking events. Show that you’re adaptable.  

A Good Handshake 

The well-known professional welcoming gesture of a handshake is very important to make your first impression in an interview. No one wants to grab a limb or clammy hand to shake. A strong handshake shows confidence, preparation and attention. You want to make this a confident and professional introduction to the interview. 

As Tony Morrison, Vice President of Cashinko, has written, you may not remember your last good handshake but you certainly you remember your last bad one!  

Don’t be remembered for the wrong reason. 

Posture 

Non-verbal communication is extremely important, an interviewer wants you to look engaged and interested in this opportunity. Maintaining a steady and upright posture will ensure that you look attentive and professional throughout the interview. 

Eye-contact 

Maintaining good eye contact is key to showing you’re confident. A small gesture such as holding eye contact for a good length of time could show that you’re confident, honest and engaged in the interview. 

Try to make your eye-contact natural and not forced, pay attention to your non-verbal communication as you could be giving away information without even realising it.  Holding your gaze while they are talking is important to show you’re listening. Practice your posture and eye contact before the interview. 

Being Yourself 

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken,”- Oscar Wilde 

  

It’s easy to tell if someone is trying to be someone they’re not, especially a hiring manager who probably interviewers 10’s or 100’s people a year. Be natural, if you’re nervous, take your time to pause and think about what you’re saying. 

If you’re currently searching for your next career move, why not view all our jobs or send your CV in confidence to hello@corvus.jobs.