Discussing salaries increases in interviews

Many professionals worry about how to discuss salary increases in interviews. With continued uncertainty in the global economy, some candidates believe employers are in little mood or position to negotiate on a starting salary. However, candidates need to know their market worth and what the market is willing to pay.

If your salary is too high, employers may not consider you because they don’t want to pay that much or they think you won’t be happy working for less money. If your salary is lower than the company had budgeted for, they may offer you a lower salary and you lose out.

Below are some points to consider:

1. Do your salary research well before your interview, collate information on the current market value of your position from your peers, colleagues and Robert Walters recruitment consultancy. Get Robert Walters Global Salary Survey as a benchmark, you can request it from www.robertwalters.co.za/salarysurvey of the App is available to download for the all Apple & Android devices.
2. Usually, salary is the last part to be discussed in the interview. If it comes up beforehand, try and postpone the question and let the employer make an offer first. This way you won’t under or over sell yourself. If it does come up note that your salary requirements are flexible. That way you will give yourself some flexibility when negotiating salary later on.
3. Your Robert Walters consultant will help you prepare for each interview you have and will have a good idea of what the employer is offering for the position. The consultant will also negotiate on your behalf.
4. It’s important to keep your consultant informed of your salary expectations as well as any salary increase you get before you move roles. This way we can do our best to manage expectations and secure a satisfactory salary for you.
5. Be realistic about salary expectations. On average candidates can expect to receive pay increases of around 10-15% when moving roles.