So when a job says £21,550 - £ 26,550

[Panadbois]

What does it mean exactly? Do you start at £21,550 or can they offer you a starting wage of anything in between?

They can offer anything in between or the top/bottom salary. It usually depends on your experience and current salary combined with just how much they want you/how hard you barter.

It will depend on your experience generally.

So when do you barter? Do you tell them at the interview how much you think you're worth, or wait until you're offered the job?

Is this a public sector job? If it is, it will be largely based on quantifiable experience and competencies.

They can ask at interview how much you are looking for but I have always tried to push higher at offer stage. You need to have a clear argument why you are worth more than the base salary.

They will be aiming to start at the bottom!

Thank you all. I need to get on the shortlist first

Is that for the nhs? Looks like band 5. I was told that unless I'd previously worked for the NHS then it was unlikely to be anything more than the minimum.

It's a job at the local Uni. That's not the wage, l just pulled something out of the air.
These jobs just go internally don't they.
I had an interview once, did all the prep, prepared and delivered a cracking presentation. And didn't get the job. Fine, faire enought. Until I found out the lad that was offered it had accepted the job two weeks before the interviews, when offered ot on his doorstep!! I can't compete with that can I!!

Seriously! One of the panelists knocked on his door, and offered him the job! Newly graduated lad.
I wonder if it's because my DF isn't a freemason.

(((Still sulking)))

I work in a uni and not all the jobs go to internal candidates, however there are often a lot of internal candidates as the only way to move up is to move around. Depending on the role, they often come with experience of relevant systems etc so are competitive in interviews. In my department I would say that it's 50:50 internal to external pretty much.

When setting salary, we aim to bring people in at the bottom as that gives you some years to move through the increments. Will start higher if the candidate has lots of relevant experience or who is coming from a role which pays higher than the bottom. I would recommend waiting until you are offered the role before mentioning salary, but do speak up then if you are
Not happy with the offer.

Also, top tip to get shortlisted - please ensure you cover off all of the aspects of the person specification in your application, and if there is space to write a statement this is the place to do it. We are tightly regulated on our shortlisting and there have been numerous times I have not been able
To shortlist good candidates as they did not address the person spec in their statement - in our place attaching a cv does not replace a well thought out statement.

Good luck and hope you manage to negotiate the salary you desire

Will do, thanks for taking the time to type

An alternative perspective - a salary range gives the recruiter the opportunity to attract talent by widening their recruitment scope - so they may have a budget of up to £26,550. They will want to be able to offer the successful candidate a salary somewhere within the specified range, depending on where the successful candidate is currently, in their career path and their current experience/skill/talent.

Based on your range of

£21,550 - £ 26,550

If a candidate (who the recruiter considers suitable) verifies they presently attain a salary of £24,500 in their current role, and is interested to move into the advertised role (for various reasons, eg new opportunity, a change of personal circumstances, potential for advancement etc), then the recruiter has the flexibility to negotiate a starting position at the £24,500 level with various (example) scenarios :-

• £500 extra (i.e. £25,000) to attract them to accept the role, if they really like the person

Or

• £24,500 with a 3 month successful probation period after which an increment of £500

Or etc ...

However, the recruiter wants to have the ability to consider taking on a first- or second-jobber, who is presently earning say £21,000, so they are within their rights to set the new salary based on what that person presently earns.

They certainly wouldn't offer someone on £21,000 the upper end of the band at £26,550!

And, of course, they also want to have the scope to consider someone with several years' experience, already earning the £25,000 mark, because they still have scope for at least a year or 2's worth of increments before they hit the top of the range at £26,550 - then the person may either be happy to remain at the top of the range, or will want to consider their next role advancement.

IME the salary range is used to entice the most talented candidates. When I worked in theatre we were often willing to offer the top for the best person. Yes, the bottom of the salary range is preferable for the employer but they are often prepared to go to the top.

I work at a Uni and I know what our adverts mean, at least.
The bottom wage is exactly what they will offer, the top number is the top of that specific salary scale which is the most you would earn after working thru the paypoints (takes years).

But if your job duties change or the salary scale changes, you'd get paid more.

Only external professors and high ranking admin people can negotiate a better deal.

Agree with pp. I work in university admin and at that sort of range you would get the bottom of the scale and then yearly increments.

My university advertised internally first so you might not be up against someone internal as they've already been ruled out.

Good to know, thank you all for your comments

Happy new year to you while I'm at it!

In my experience, it is a simple way of weeding out unsuitable candidates (over- or under-qualified) but the top end of the range is flexible. My dh just got a new job and they offered him 2k higher than their highest offer in the job spec because they wanted him!

I can only dream you may raisin!!!

Sorry! I can only dream!

This is why knowing industry/sector makes a huge difference - am in private sector, IT, and I would treat a stated pay range totally differently (have been hired above payrange - they offered, I didn't negotiate for some reason). God it's confusing!

I have experience of uni admin recruitment. The range stated is the range for that job and without promotion to a higher grade the upper limit is the max you will earn in that job. We have offered top of the range and even above, to secure a candidate we wanted - external candidates in both cases. One who was recruited on the top of the scale got promoted to a higher graded post within months.

I echo what Sunshine says: use the free text space in your application to list every single criterion for both the job and person spec, both essential and desirable, and explain how you meet every single one. Those who do this are in the minority, but they stand a far higher chance of being interviewed.
Good luck.