Salary Negotiation

[Heartsandclaps]

In my role the salaries across the industry are pretty levelled, so much so that the maximum salary of a new job I saw advertised is what I earn now but the job is a lot more interesting. What can I do to negotiate this salary upwards so it makes sense to jump ship? Surely no one changes jobs without a financial reason to do so? Can hiring managers go above the maximum limit?

Of course people change jobs for other reasons than financial; I have taken pay cuts before to get experience in other areas or go to a more flexible working pattern.

If there is an industry-wide cap then you can probably not negotiate much in terms of cash but could ask for better hours, holiday or investment in training/development.

Well, the obvious way would be to apply, completely wow them in the interview process so they ask you to name your price.

Meanwhile, make sure you completely understand the full package that they are offering, including pension contributions, days holiday etc.

When it gets to the point, you can always explain what you need and see what they reply.

Then, when they make you an offer you can go back to your existing employer and ask them what they can do to match this new offer so you can stay with them and avoid the costs of replacing you.

You can do this, probably not more than once a decade. Good luck.

Does the job have better prospects?

Apply! That's a really compelling reason from an employers perspective. I'd far rather a role go to someone who wants to do the actual work, not just someone who wants a salary uplift.