Job interview

[Millionairerow]

Went for a job interview. It went well. The job title is one down from where I'm at but recruitment consultant said they tend to accommodate the candidate. The overall package is not as good as where I'm at. What's a reasonable salary request? Take into account the value of mu current package plus 5-10per cent? I'm due for pay rise and bonus in April but won't get this if I hand in notice. Is it reasonable to point this out to potential employer? Am keen to leave current job as its undergone a lot of change and gone from being quite fluid to highly rigid and hierarchical.

So the job title is a level down from where you are now and the salary being offered is also down from where you are now (which makes sense) but you think you are in a position to ask for 5-10% more than you are earning? For a lower job?

That would be a bit unusual and would only tend to apply in very individual circumstances so I'm not sure generic advice from people who don't know the sector is going to be that helpful.

Were you headhunted or did you apply for the role (presumably knowing the lower job level and salary level at the time)?

Why do you want the job? What's going for it that would make the lower grade and salary worth it? I can understand why you want to leave the current one, but that's not the same as why you want to go to the new one.

I agree that going to a lower job with an advertised lower salary - you'd be doing well to get your current salary, and it wouldn't be normal to get that much, unless you've got specific experience which would bring added value to the new role - and just having worked in a higher grade job may not do that.

I would say from experience, don't trust everything recruitment consultants say. Having said that, I think their commission is a percentage of the starting salary, so it's in their interests to get that as high as they can. OTOH, they do need to get you into the job to get that.

What I'm saying is the job title is fluid. Likely to be what I am now. The benefits package is less eg less bonus earning potential, less pension contribution, slightly less on car allowance but the role is advertising up to 80K. I am currently on 64,5k. I've said I expect 70-75k.

Work out the exact value of each package and then decide what you are prepared to work for. Tbh if it says up to 80k I would be tempted to ask for 80k!

If the overall package is less than you are currently on but they are prepared to offer up to £80k why would you ask for £70-75k??

All good questions. Confirmation I have the job so I have to tell the minimum is expect so the recruitment consultant can negotiate which makes me nervous. Didn't want to appear too greedy but when I was being interviewed I realised I had really good experience. I'm a director just now so this would be an AD role. The job titles are a bit arbitrary in my type of field. Agh decisions.

It's such a female trait. Men rarely worry about seeming "greedy".

This article was in the Guardian at the weekend.

(Katie Roiphe: ‘Why am I being paid less than my male colleagues?’)