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Unobvious reasons to negotiate a higher salary

How does the whole process look like? When is the best moment to bring up this question? Apart from crafting a good pitch about their skills and experience, job seekers need to prepare different salary negotiation tactics. If you managed to catch the hiring manager’s attention and the company seriously considers you as a potential employee, don’t be afraid to clear things up on the spot.

In case you’re not happy with some terms and conditions of the contract, don’t brush this concern off. Otherwise, your dissatisfaction will be accumulating and building on. As a result, various doubts distract you from performing assigned tasks as good as you can. Thus, your productivity and engagement with the new position may dramatically decrease.
No one is going to read your mind unless you openly say what you want. Jooble specialists have prepared some tips on how to do salary negotiation successfully.

Is it too late to negotiate salary after accepting an offer?

The short answer is no. Think about the whole process this way. Once you have been chosen among many candidates, potential employers are very aware of your knowledge and skills. They appreciate them and want to apply to new and already existing projects. The company has already gone far in searching for the most suitable person. It spent a lot of time on multiple interview stages with many people, and so did you. Understanding this background should boost your decisiveness to discuss salary expectations.

However, the timing of your demand is crucial. It’s too late to ask for an immediate raise once you have already started the job. If the person signed up the contract and all the related data went to the system, such a request wouldn’t look serious in the least. Experts say a good time to ask is either during the final interview or after accepting the offer but before the work starts. Thus, you get the highest chance to increase your base salary.

Key factors to crack the crafty salary negotiation in interviews

Let’s not rest on the laurels too early. No one is irreplaceable, especially for the human resources and hiring managers with tight budgets. That’s why it is so crucial to master your negotiation skills. Without a profound and clear-cut explanation of why you’re worth more, no one will take your request seriously. Here is a fearless salary negotiation strategy you could use.

Back your proposal with facts and figures

• Research to figure out the salary range for the offered position

Start with your geographic location and then switch to nationwide mode. If you’re about to work in the international and highly competitive niche, look over the salary range in the leading companies across the world. It is necessary to find up-to-date information on how much companies from your industry are ready to pay for the tasks you are offered to perform. 

• Align collected information with your education and experience

Keep in mind that company representatives have already heard about your brilliant achievements. Therefore, don’t repeat yourself entirely. Give the potential employers a clear understanding that you can help them achieve business goals easier and faster. How? By providing specific examples when your expertise, connections, skills, and background played a crucial role for the company. Make them as relevant to the current needs of future employers as possible. Don’t miss the chance to show you’re already aware of the business processes and challenges of the company. Show your interest to contribute to its growth. Prepare some unique selling points, such as fast-learning skills and creative approaches to problem-solving.

• Research the current economic situation

We are not living in a vacuum. Even if your sphere is now thriving, the whole economy might not. Your offered salary can soon become insufficient in the wake of inflation or exchange fluctuations. Numerous Covid restrictions (that might not disappear entirely in the foreseeable future) also affect our expenses. Have a look at the market trends in your industry. If the overall demand for your skills is rising, it’s also a good argument why your paying rate should be higher. Figures always sound more plausible than words. Also, the new company will see your proposals are well-prepared. Thus, you also gain the reputation of a person who appreciates other people’s time.

Be ready to bargain

• Figure out how much the company is ready to pay

There is no perfect moment to communicate money questions with potential employers. The irony is, you still have to find one. Sure, the best-case scenario is when the other side raises the point itself. Thus, you get information about its readiness to negotiate and current financial capacities. To make the conversation more fruitful, try to figure out how much the company pays to its current employees on average. Get in touch with them via LinkedIn or try other networking methods to obtain some first-hand experience. 

• Get in touch with the companies from the same niche

If this idea doesn’t seem to be plausible, talk to recruiters from other companies operating in the same niche as yours. They know what candidates with your background can count on. Recruiters often call first, so this time don’t roll the eyes.  Ask them questions about the position’s tasks and payment. If you managed to figure out what salary the company expects to pay for your job – kudos! You nailed this stage. If a potential employer gave you at least a rough idea about the budgeted money, consider that as a win too. 

Consider alternatives

If a salary offer is not the only thing bothering you, better discuss all your concerns at once. Otherwise, the hiring manager can get an impression you’re inconsistent. Prioritize demands and prepare to sacrifice some of them if necessary. 

It’s also good to be open to alternatives. If the company can compensate you for certain extra expenditures instead of raising the salary, don’t say ‘’no’’ immediately. Ask potential employers more questions about possible alternatives. They will also help you understand the inner processes better and decide if this company is a good fit for you. More flexible vacation time? Great. Is the company ready to cover some moving expenses? Awesome. Does your potential employer encourage learning in the workplace? Perfect. Don’t refuse to consider these unobvious perks. 

On the other hand, make sure to anchor them in your contract. Salary caps are still here, so sometimes the other side isn’t deadly stubborn. It simply can’t offer you exactly what you need. Consider side hustles and how to balance them with the primary job until things get clear.

Salary negotiation do’s and don’ts

Congratulations! You got a job offer! If you’re already on cloud nine, opening a champagne bottle, there is no need to read this article till the end. If job conditions are currently meeting your expectations, don’t get plagued with the idea to bargain things just for the sake of bargaining. Interacting with colleagues and bosses are unthinkable without flexibility and negotiating. So, you will have plenty of occasions to practice these skills. 

Salary negotiation is a good idea if you see room for further discussion and have a list of telling arguments. Otherwise, don’t outwear the patience of your potential employers. As we mentioned before, no one will guess what you want unless you tell it openly and clearly. Consider different salary negotiation role-play scenarios. How would you behave under various circumstances? Make a plan B. What if you will have to write a salary negotiation email? Expressing your thoughts in the letter may be easier, but what if it’s not your case?

Take into account cultural differences. People talk about money in various ways. Some of them are more straightforward, while the others are meandering and tricky. Successful salary negotiation is a sophisticated art. However, thanks to a well-prepared strategy, you will get what you want at your new workplace.

Why is asking interviewers important?

“We are done with our part. Do you have any questions?” Technically, this sentence marks the end of an interview. However, everything is not as easy as it seems.

Having questions to ask an employer during the job interview is a crucial indicator of your interest in the offered position. People love feedback and appreciate curiosity. They would eagerly answer reasonable questions related to the vacancy and the day-to-day responsibilities it includes.

Candidates also get additional opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. They may impress interviewers with awareness of company activities and mission. Preparing a list of questions to ask the interviewer shows that you are determined. Eventually, they help understand if the company is a good fit for the candidate.

This final part is always stressful because you are tired and want to breathe freely after the examination. Yet, good power statements and questions at the end of the job interview increase candidates’ chances to be remembered. They are more likely to be chosen for the position.

So, what do you need to ask? Jooble specialists have prepared some takeaways. Disclaimer: we didn’t cover questions about salary. It will be the topic for our next material.

What are good questions to ask an employer during the job interview?

What do you personally find exciting about working here?

People like talking about themselves. Use this trick to win the employer’s favour. You don’t manipulate (or maybe just a bit), rather ask for sincere feedback from more experienced people. Here are some examples of such questions:

• What does inspire people working here?
• Why did you choose this workplace back in the day?
• How does the company align its goals with employees’ aspirations?
• What defined your career path in this company?

These are killer interview questions to ask employers because you directly address their human side. Thus, candidates can show respect to the professional path of their potential colleagues. Furthermore, they figure out how favourable the working environment is in the company.

How can I grow professionally here?

Among all candidates, ambitious ones stand out and attract more attention. To show that you’re serious about working here, don’t hesitate to specify the next career steps.

• How do employees get promoted in the company?
• Are there any restrictions on how long people should work before getting a raise?
• What are the key factors for a horizontal/vertical promotion?

Thanks to these questions, you’ll easier notice the red flags of the potential workplace. What if the culture of promotion and professional development is weak here? As a result, people don’t get enough recognition for their hard job. It may indirectly point at the high employee turnover. So, if you search for something long-lasting, don’t waste your time in the workplace with little to no appreciation.

What are your strategy and internal policy?

A successful company must have a strategy and an internal policy. Candidates should pay attention to these aspects since they inevitably deal with them carrying out day-to-day tasks. In case you don’t share company goals and rules, we would recommend considering another workplace. What if your potential employers encourage the high power distance culture? Would you feel comfortable with it?

The same goes for the company goals. Are they relevant to you? Would you eagerly contribute to achieving them? Sort these things out during the interview.

• What goals is an organisation pursuing nowadays?
•  How flexible are the working hours?
•  How would you describe company management style?
• Does the company cultivate a collaborative and supportive environment?
• If an employee comes up with a fresh and good idea, who could help her implement it?

This one and similar questions show that the candidate cares about the long-term perspectives and takes internal policy seriously.

….and a bit more ideas

There are tons of questions you may ask before leaving the office. Some of them can break the ice at the beginning of the conversation. Others should show your commitment to performance and put you in a positive light. Here you can find examples of both categories:

Ice-breaker questions to ask an employer during the job interview:

• What kind of attire is better at this workplace?
• Are there any outdoor or indoor activities for employees?
• How does my typical day will look like?
• How do you encourage work-life balance among employees?
• May I organize a hobby club?
• Are employees allowed make small parties on Friday nights in the office?
• Do you organize company parties?
• How would you describe a company culture?

More serious questions to ask an employer during the job interview:

• What personality traits are highly appreciated in the company nowadays?
• Are my potential colleagues more team players?
• How much would they appreciate healthy individualism?
• Is the communication culture within a company horizontal or vertical?
• Everyone needs active and motivated coworkers, but does the company have a steady set of values?
• What kind of supervision can I count on?
• How does the management encourage employees to develop?
• What is the conflict resolution culture in the office?
• How often does a performance review take place?

It is the information candidates tend to overlook. So, don’t miss the opportunity and clear the air right during the interview.

Is it ok to ask a lot of questions in an interview?

To sum up, there are dozens of questions you may raise. We don’t recommend using all of them. Otherwise, you will turn into the interviewer yourself. Specialists advise preparing 3-5 standing questions that fit all situations. Therefore, you won’t feel stressed and confused about this part of the conversation. Act accordingly and remember that recruiters and potential employers enjoy and appreciate fruitful interaction. Experts also emphasize that any interview should be a two-way street. Both parties have to make efforts to represent themselves in a positive light. The times when a hiring manager was an overwhelming favourite are in the distant past.

Some questions cross your mind in the middle of the conversation. Feel free to clarify your concerns on the spot. The amount of questions depends on the stage of the interview process. The nearer you are to the final boss, the more questions are ok to ask. A positive sign if they become more specific. Thus, your potential employers understand that you are already deep in the context know a lot about the company.

 

How hard is it to find a job? And what makes it hard?

As with any important step in our life, finding a good job seems to be an insurmountable problem. However, if we divide this task into smaller parts and tackle upcoming challenges step by step, things won’t look dramatic anymore. Yes, the job search is rather a marathon where patience and consistency prevail over speed.

There are many reasons why it takes us so long to find a good workplace. The problem largely depends on the industry, salary expectations, candidate’s experience and skills, economic situation in the country. These factors should determine the strategies for job hunting. We would like to share some tips that help ease the job search process and make it more productive.

Imagine yourself in the long-term perspective

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? No worries, this question irritates us too. The world has become too changeable, so even the most reasonable plans can now look more like sandcastles. Although no one has a crystal ball to predict the future, identifying your ambitions serves as the first real step to a successful job search.

At the end of the day, people spend about one-third of their life at work! On one hand, it should motivate us to be more selective and careful while choosing strategies for job hunting. On the other hand, the amount of responsibility makes us believe that there is no room for a mistake. Let’s admit the fact that an idea of the long-term perspective scares us. To overcome the fear of the future, think of things you find important, inspirational, and entertaining. Being honest with your preferences is a good first step.

List things you enjoy

Imagine, you will have to perform them for a long time. Are you interested in developing yourself in these spheres? Go through activities you find exciting. Due to the lack of personal and professional experience, this task could be hard at first. As an alternative, ask people you admire and respect about their career path. Fresh ideas and thoughts can help you figure out what could grab and keep your attention for a long time.

If the mission is still hard to accomplish, then write down the tasks boring you to tears. Are you ready to endure them for your future career? Since an average working day lasts for 8 hours, we strongly encourage candidates (even for entry positions) to look for jobs they find inspiring. All joking aside, the short philosophical session “what I actually want to do in my life” underlies the whole search process and determines possible strategies for job hunting.

However, life is changeable. So, if feel that the current occupation doesn’t inspire you anymore, don’t be afraid of the career change. With the right strategy, you will be able to switch effectively and start doing things that truly inspire you.

Schedule your job hunt

The labour market has low and high seasons. They may slightly differ depending on the country or an industry, but main trends remain unchanged. Revival of economic activity right after the Christmas season and summer vacation increases your chances to find a good job. In winter hiring managers obtain budgets for the year. In early autumn they come back from holiday.

Don’t forget about thousands of freshly graduated candidates who start bombing companies with their CVs in May/June.

Show respect to HR specialists from foreign companies and check if you send the application on the regular working day, not on the national holiday. Friday isn’t the best day to send the documents because on Monday morning they will appear at the bottom of the email box. If the company you want to work with is located in another time zone, consider this factor as well. Don’t send anything in the middle of the night. These subtleties help make the job search process less frustrating and let you focus on the quality of your CV.

Keep an eye on internships and apprenticeships. Their schedule may vary from the regular job postings. However, even if the vacancy is closed, the company can still consider you, but for temporary employment. Don’t brush off the opportunity to add valuable experience to your CV.

Sum up what you know and can

If there is no plan on how to organize the whole job search process, looking for vacancies turns into a disaster. What does the candidate have to bear in mind before submitting applications?

Let’s start by writing down everything about your previous experience. Make a detailed description of the tasks your team completed, cases you solved, and software you dealt with. HR specialists appreciate brief applications with some quantitative metrics. The latter allows them to evaluate a candidate’s potential faster. Try to summarize your achievements and convert them into clear numbers.

Once you accomplished the magnum opus of your professional experience (and felt proud of yourself), use it as the main resource for the next applications. Needless to say, good candidates always adjust their CVs and cover letters to the requirements of the particular employer. You don’t have to mention everything, rather focus on the most relevant points. However, having a full picture of your achievements doesn’t only make you feel more confident, but also helps extract the necessary professional traits.

Prefer quality over quantity

Sending thousands of similar applications is a doubtful strategy. To be honest, it shows the lack of any strategy in the first place. Don’t try to knock on all the doors at the same time, but choose the right keys for the ones you really want to open. Prioritize companies or positions where you see yourself the most clearly. Your applications have to reflect this aspiration. Brief research of the company’s activities, goals, and values is the shortest way to represent yourself as a serious candidate who respects her own and the recruiter’s time.

Since such in-depth analysis requires lots of effort, keep track of the application process. Make sure to know when you wrote the first letter and when the follow-up should be sent. Set the reminder for interviews and calls. First of all, you will not get confused by sudden letters or meetings (you are unprepared for). Secondly, it decreases your anxiety and helps feel in control of the situation.

Submitting one but thought-out application per day during the week is better than sending five offhand semi-drafts with typos on a Friday evening. Remember, that the world is small. The wrong first impression due to the poorly made CV may affect you along the professional path later on.

Learn what you have to know

While on the hunt for the job, you will constantly face different employers’ requirements. They will help you understand what skills (especially hard ones) you have to gain and improve. Understanding modern tools, software, or methods, highly appreciated in your sphere increases the chances to get the dream job. However, there is a fine line between understanding and possessing.

So does it mean, you have to freeze the whole job search process and start studying again? Definitely no. Quite rarely do candidates meet all the requirements listed by the employer. May this situation not confuse you. Showing aspiration to learn fast and explore new things can be as beneficial as the necessary skills themselves. The reason is simple. Less experienced employees pay more attention to their tasks and stay excited by the work longer. Knowledge gained during thematic lectures and webinars can compensate for the lack of experience sometimes. No one knows everything, so live and learn.

As we see, before sending the first CV, you need to have a couple of job searching strategies. First of all, try to get a deeper understanding, what you want (and don’t want) to do in this life. Then make a career plan, when to start looking for new opportunities and how to keep track of the whole process. Don’t send thousands of similar applications. Make you letter and resume different each time. Doing the same things over and over won’t lead you to brand new results. Make the most of professional networks and social media. Learn the most common interview questions.

Looking for a job opportunities is a marathon where patience prevails over speed. To get a job offer means to prove you are the best. So, adjust your strategies for job hunting to the industry, economic situation, and your aspirations. Use job description and employers requirements as your professional navigator to understand what skills and knowledge you have to possess. However, sometimes showing readiness to challenges gives you an advantage over experience.