Asking for increased salary at a job interview

[Ladybird20201]

Hi all,

Just gathering thoughts and opinions regarding a job interview tomorrow.

I have an interview tomorrow, the pay they are offering on the advertisement is about 5k too low annually to cover my mortgage and bills, so I'm hoping they would be open to negotiating a higher salary if they take me on.
I've never asked for offered salary to be negotiated so I am unsure how to do this and if it's acceptable so looking for experience and opinions.
Would it be unreasonable to ask for 5k more than what they are offering? It will just cover my mortgage and bills. As it's already 5k higher I feel asking for even more would be even more unreasonable, and I'm nervous about even asking for this. Has anyone done this at an interview and is it a completely unreasonable amount to ask for from what was advertised?
Has anyone done this before?
Thank you x

Salary should be discussed /negotiated with the HR department.. Don't bring it up in the interview. Wait to see if you get the offer of a job and then you discuss money.. Likewise don't discuss annual leave at the interview. If the panel bring either up (unlikely) then just nod and say that's good to know.

I think you are getting hard time here a bit unfairly OP.

At the moment the market is difficult, yes, but companies will always try to get people in for not a lot of money.

First interview is not the place to discuss the salary but if you get called back for the second interview you can discuss it then.

It is not wasting time any body's time for you to got to that interview - if nothing else, you will get some experience and feel for the market at the moment. The company will get a feel for what level of candidates they can get for the money they are wanting to pay.

I'd wait until an offer is made. From experience the NHS won't move on entry level salary unless you've had a previous NHS role (just in case you're aiming for them)

Just outline why you feel you merit an increase on their tabled offer. I'd aim slightly higher than what you need though so you have some wiggle room to step down to if they're amenable to negotiating.

If the offer is flat then at least you know where you stand.

I really wouldn't raise the question as part of the interview. It'll detract from your overall impression.

What @motherlfawhirlwind said.!!! It's exaclty my experience albeit from the employee perspective.

I think it depends on the interview. I wouldn't normally discuss salary at an interview but if the interviewer brings up the subject then you can raise any concerns you have.
I went for an interview where I knew the salary was lower than what I was on, but as it was closer to home decided to go for it. Salary came up in the interview and the interviewer was very keen. They ended up offering the role and raising the salary go what I wanted (4.5k more).
However normally I'd suggest raising it either before or after you receive an offer.

If they listed the salary, I doubt they'd believe you didn't know what it was and probably not ask you what your expectations are this early in the game.

How interested are you in the job?

If you are excited, and they seem like a good fit, I might ask about "opportunities for growth," but not about numbers, specifically.

I bet you're an excellent candidate, but I wouldn't worry about the numbers until I'd "wowed" them and gotten an offer.

Best of luck!

if nothing else, you will get some experience and feel for the market at the moment.

^ This.

Thankfully the majority of recent replies should guide you in the right direction. Go for the interview, be really prepared, have decent questions to ask - interviews really are two-sided - and land yourself the job. Then, and only then do you raise the issue of the salary. Yes you knew what it was at the interview stage but it's not unreasonable to ask if they would consider paying more to reflect the value you bring to the role. You might get marked down as not eligible for a later pay rise for a year or two but the initial boost will help towards the mortgage. It also helps if it is HR that you have this conversation with; they are normally removed from the day to day pressures and politics of the business and act on both parties behalf to secure the right candidate at the right salary. Also, the managers who will interview you will generally hate to talk about salary and are often not in a position to negotiate on the spot.

We ask candidates about salary expectations at interview. I expect an answer with a figure, not just a top of the band, type reply.

There's an excellent (and old US book) called women don't ask...

There's also a website..

How women do themselves out of over a million dollars over their lifetime.... Essentially men see a starting salary as a jump off point for negotiation and women see it as fixed (it isn't...).

Their research showed the same level ability graduates... Men asked for more money 8 times as often as women did...

The reasons are complicated.... One that I recognised immediately.... I thought if i worked hard then they would magically raise my salary.... (all the happened was I was exploited! And less able men than me were earning considerably more).

I really really wish I'd asked for larger starting salaries... Esp when I had more useful skills./knpweldge to offer. ....

So I did... Two years down the line at a conference met up with 10 diff women who had done same low paid grad job in different areas of country... I was the ONLY one who had asked for salary to be paid at top of band... And I was.... Some of the other women had ANY idea this was possible!

I focused on what I could offer in terms of.value added....

It also meant when the NHS had a percentage increase it meant mine was bigger in cash terms, and also with the attendant larger pension contribution.

Wait til they offer.... The negotiate.

www.saralaschever.com/womendontask

Personally I think your being ridiculous

People are losing their jobs hand over first currently - employers are being very cagey in taking anyone on, its massively an employers market.

Is it really the time now in the current situation to be asking for more Money?! Most people are taking pay cuts

Unless you offer something extra special no one else does your being crazy

Salary is always negotiable. What is in the advert is an indication only. I have experience with being employed and employing people - wait for a firm offer of the job and then discuss salary before agreeing - for example, if you want 5k more than advertised, then start at 10K more and then meet in the middle. If they want you and you are the best candidate, they will pay you.

I assume everyone saying you mustn't ask for more is a woman, because not negotiating for more money is one of the reasons women earn less than men on average.

You absolutely should negotiate, based on your ability to do the job and value you will bring to the company.

You shouldn't do it at interview, do it when you have been offered the job - I.e. when you know they want to employ you, that's the time to negotiate.

Negotiate salary if offered the job

Absolutely negotiate if they offer you the job. We expect people to do so. If our first choice asks for more money, we will see how they performed at interview compared to the second choice. If there wasn’t much in it, and the second choice is willing to work for the salary, then we will go for the second choice if the first choice digs their heels in. If the first choice was a bit of a star compared with the competition, then we’ll negotiate.

Only ask after they offer you the job, never at an interview

Wait until they offer.
it also depends which role it is. stacking shelves in supermarket?forget it.
Specialist role with not that many people qualified ? go for it!

Always wait they offer you the job to negotiate. Bringing this up at interviews usually puts The interviewers back up unnecessarily.

What optimist and mother said (im not HR, but I hire people a lot)

Loads of twaddle on this thread. Entirely depends on the type of role, how desperate they are to recruit, whether the skills you have are in demand.

Go along, interview and if you are offered you have two choices :

A) ask for the £5K - you have nothing to loose
B) ascertain at interview if this is a company you’d really like to work for, can see there is room for salary increase in the future and so accept the initial £5k loss.

Agree with pp that you negotiate salary after you have an offer. However, have a statement prepared for the interview about salary expectations, eg I currently earn XXX so I'd like to understand the salary range.

Interesting reading this thread. I tried to negotiate for a higher salary back in Feb and was nigh on told off for wasting their interview time. Put me right in my place and reminded me it was an employers market.

Salary negotiation is best done after you have been offered the job. I got offered a role 2 weeks ago and accepted, after negotiating a £20k raise (double the increase I was initially offered). This was after doing research on what others doing similar roles are being paid.

Women, as PP have suggested, often don’t ask and therefore don’t get.

If you can demonstrate that the salary they're offering is well below the going rate for the role and the area, you may stand a better chance in negotiations.

IMHO (and I have successfully got a higher salary twice upon joining a new employer) it doesn't work. Even if you twist their arm to get more, they are unhappy at "overpaying" and you don't get a rise (ever).