Should I go for interview for 30% less pay job?

[HaveAShower]

I've actually got 2 final stage interviews which is great. But one is 30% less than my current salary. The other is 15% less AND a much more junior title.

I don't have to leave current role urgently right now, but will need to by this time next year due to restructuring. I'm currently way overpaid the market rate and very senior. It's also a pretty toxic environment where I work so I'd be happy to get out.

Both poss new jobs are fully remote which is a plus for me.

But I don't know if I'm selling myself too short? Am worried if I don't go for one of these, i won't find anything as good again...these are the first final stage ones I've got to in a year.

I would go and give it your all and then try your hardest to negotiate as much as possible if you get an offer. Shouldn't be too much trouble to the 15% less position up to a reasonable number. Best of luck OP

Do they give you something in return? I've been looking at roles paying a third of my total remuneration, and passing over roles that would be a significant pay rise because i want to take a step back. I don't need the money and I want work life balance. My heart isn't in my current role any more. All that matters is how you feel about it.

Will some of the salary loss be offset by saved commuting costs? How much time will you save commuting, and what's that worth to you?

I'm remote currently so won't save anything unfortunately but I am worried if I turn these down I may only be able to get hybrid or office roles when the time comes and that would cost more for me.

The only "cost saving" could be the fact that I do crazy hours currently so if I did less in another job it would technically work out at more money per hour

How do you feel about working less crazy hours? Does that make a pay cut worth it to you?

Can you comfortably manage on the lower salary?

Go to both, try to get the 30% interview first and treat it as interview practise. 15% less doesn't sound too bad. For me also any lateral move would involve a hefty pay cut. Unless you're aiming for a more senior role you won't get raise if you're currently on very good money.

Maybe you could work your way up / renegotiate your salary once you’re in the new company. You could take it and keep your eye out for other higher paying jobs once you get it and are secure

The 15% one is fine for me salary-wise the trouble is that one is a much more junior title. Think 2 or 3 rungs back down the ladder. Whereas the 30% one is actually a closer title to mine.

I mean ideally what I want is a mix of the two - the title from one and salary from the other. But if I turn these down to wait for that to come along, I might never get it

That's frustrating about the 15% being a much more junior title. Perhaps ask them how long to work your way back up?

Also depends on how overpaid you are at the moment, and also how high the salaries are.

I know you've said your senior and overpaid, but 30% drop could mean very different things depending on how much that actually is.

Also, what about tax bands? If it's enough to drop you into a lower tax band the take home difference will be less of a drop.

Can you negotiate a better title for the 15% cut, making it clear you're fine with the salary if you want?

I's check whether you can negotiate a better title for the 15% role. Perhaps something which is a bit of a fudge like 'consultant' or 'advisor' to avoid putting existing team members' noses out of joint.

If you go for a role that is too much of a drop in salary, the interviewers might be skeptical and see you as a flight risk. It is easier to explain why you would go for a 15% less role, especially if you are also asking for a more senior title, which means you are not giving up that much for the step down in salary.

If you have an agent working for you, it is easier to sound out the 15% company. But if not, the safer option is to wait until they offer to make these requests.

I went for a job that was about a 35% paycut compared with the job I'd been made redundant from some time before. It was hard, but I needed money coming in, and it was better than zero. I left after 5 months because of micromanagement - otherwise, I'd have felt I needed to give them a year (if i hadn't got the new new one, I'd have stsyed till i did get one.) I got a new job which is only about 10% less than my pre-redundancy role (and fewer hours and a far shorter commute.) The first job covered my bills, but it didn't really give me much spare for things like holidays. My pre-redundancy role did pay at the top of the market, so I knew I'd be takjng a paycut unless i wanted to work in the City, which i don't. I assume you've done those sums.

I am in a technical role. I don't actually know what my grade is. I do know my job title, but it's different from previous roles, despite them essentially being the same job. However, if it's a title which comes with significantly less responsibility, that would bother me more than what they call it. Taking a step down can be fine, but for me, boredom can be as stressful as being overworked, in a different way, and if it's too much of a step down, that would be my worry.