Anyone gone for a new job? Negotiate your salary!

[QueenRefusenik]

I was recently on the interview panel for a new appointee - we chose someone, but then the chair was heading off on annual leave so deputised the paperwork to me... Candidate accepted but wrote a quick (one short paragraph) email laying out a case for starting at a higher point on the payscale, HR emailed me to ask what I thought, I said I thought they had a good case and we really wanted them, and HR said...

Yeah, OK.

And now I'm a bit flabbergasted. And embarrassed. Looking back, I started WAY below where I should have been on the pay scale, and I'm still clawing it back. Gah. So the take-home message is, negotiate! Politely and with a good case, obviously, but go for it!

Love this. I've tried this before actually, and been successful, and like you say flabbergasted at own success!

Yes, I wish I'd tried negotiating when I took my current job. It was my first permanent job, but I'd worked on a temporary contract for a prestigious university. When the HoD announced to the department that I'd accepted the post, he told them they'd got me "ridiculously cheap."

I tried negotiating when I was offered my bottom of grade 7 job for which I had to take a pay cut for. The negotiating got me nowhere.

Sorry Nico, obviously it's not always going to work but honestly I'm impressed you tried - didn't even occur to me! Burntthetoast, bloody hell, who says that in front of the person's soon-to-be colleagues?! I guess it's kind of a backhanded compliment but still, if my HoD said that about someone in front of me I'd be thinking seriously about whether that was an institution I wanted to work for... She says, like there are so many options. Gah, academia eh?

Just a thought OP, will this person be on a grant? If so you need to let your finance person know as the post would have been costed at a specific scale point.

No, not on a grant luckily or there would obviously have been more constraints, that's a fair point. Centrally funded by the institution (astonishingly....)

Good point. And actually even if this was on a grant, they’re normally costed to allow flexibility, so mid point on the scale would be typical. The job would be advertised ranging up to that point, so still room for negotiation.

I have an interview next week, maybe I'll try negotiating salary again.

And actually even if this was on a grant, they’re normally costed to allow flexibility, so mid point on the scale would be typical.

Not true in my university. Any extra salary would have to be paid from departmental funds so it's more or less impossible to negotiate salaries for researchers on fixed term contracts. No harm in asking, though.

Also research councils in my area are insisting that postdocs be costed at the bottom of the scale to save funds. This has considerable implications: we are finding it almost impossible to hire people who need tier 2 visas (as salaries are not high enough) and we can also not hire people who are 3+ years postdoc as we cannot offer high enough salaries. The latter is not entirely bad, as it is clearly not good to keep people in the system on fixed term contracts for many years.

Go for it, Nico - do you have an inside who might be able to advise you if the new place leans more towards impostersyndrome's (great username btw) or user's? Either way though, the worst they're going to do is say no!

Nope. Its at a different uni and I don't know anyone there. If anyone has any interview advice btw am all ears as very nervous.

Well I got the job but didn’t attempt any salary negotiation as to be honest I’m very under qualified for it and don’t meet the essential criteria so am just happy to have it. Plus it’s a jump up in salary from current position so am happy.

Congratulations Nico!

Thank you.

Yay, well done!

Congrats!