Negotiating a better overall package when offered a job

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Trusted Circle Founding Partner Alok Nagpal has over 25 years experience in the recruitment world, and has unrivalled expertise when it comes to negotiating a job offer. Here, he gives his thoughts on how to get the right package:

So you’ve been offered a job but slightly disappointed in the overall package being presented… (assuming it’s a job you want of course!)

Firstly, well done – it’s a great position to be in and clearly the prospective employer would like you to come on board and join the team. A lot of time has been spent on both sides to reach this point.…company research, preparing/ attending for the interview(s), taking time off work and from the employer’s side – reviewing your CV and taking the time to meet you, discussing your application with colleagues & HR and putting an offer together for you.  This is a critical point in the recruitment process and how you handle your response in terms of your message, requirements and speed will be key to ensure a positive outcome.

Bigger Picture

It is human nature and understandable to ‘want more’ when offered a position, however, there are many aspects to consider before asking for an improvement.

There is often good reason for the salary/package being offered e.g. existing salary structure constraints or areas for development picked up during the interview process. It could be a really good career move for you, so be open to seeing the bigger picture and taking the long term view. Therefore sometimes, it is better to accept the offer and prove your capabilities once you have joined.  Take advice from colleagues / friends or from your recruitment agent. The rewards should come later.

However, if you have genuine reasons that you can justify and present fairly, employers will generally try to accommodate your needs where possible.

Keys principles for a successful negotiation

Know your figures and be open. If asked the question at about salary at interview, be prepared and include a breakdown of your current benefits, if appropriate. With a complete understanding of your current package, the employer is more likely to offer you at least a comparable package.

When applying through an agency – again, give full details of your current package to include any bonuses, pension details, gym memberships, share options, promised pay rises or promotions. A Recruiter should be able to advise if your expectations are realistic and pre-empt any issues before the application process starts.  It also enables the Recruiter to advise or negotiate on your behalf before an offer is officially presented.

If applying direct and the offer is less than what you were hoping, you need to handle this one especially carefully. Sounds basic but first say thank you for the offer. If the package does not meet your expectations, it is important to confirm your interest in joining the company (if applicable) and give a breakdown of your current package and requirements for you to accept.  (It may well be that an oversight was made when putting the offer together so well worth doing this as long as you are polite.)

Give guidance on your expectations. Negotiations are not about making demands. Be flexible in approach.

If applying through an agency and asked at interview, be consistent with what you’ve said to the Recruiter!  Inconsistencies can call your character into question and be detrimental to your application. On a few occasions over the years, I have seen employers retract offers, so please be consistent.

No situation is ever the same but if you follow these basic principles, this should hopefully lead to successful conclusion. Good luck!

These 7 simple things will improve your chances of being promoted

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One of the most enjoyable experiences of any technical leader is promoting one of your team. Having personally promoted hundreds of technologists in my 26 years career, one of the most frequent questions asked is “why did so and so get promoted and I didn’t?”

In my experience, there are common traits that technologists who get promoted have;

  • Positive, enthusiastic, can do attitude – sounds obvious but all leaders want positive energy in their teams and anyone being promoted is really reinforcing the attitude and behaviour the boss is looking for. I would never have promoted someone without a great attitude!
  • Solutions led and commercial acumen – there are 2 types of technologists; firstly, the one that points out all the issues and problems and thinks they sound clever and secondly the technologist who always looks for solutions and suggests commercial options to deliver the desired outcome. Thankfully, I learned this lesson early on in my career, as a Trainee Technologist I pointed out to a menacing Merchandising Manager that I was rejecting a fabric for being off shade at which point he replied, “I could have told you that, what the **** are you doing about it, I want solutions not problems !!”
  • Customer focus – always thinking about what it means for the customer. We often work in a subjective world and it’s very easy to get distracted and inward looking. Technologists that stand out from the crowd always present and talk about what they’re doing from a customer perspective.
  • Simple communication – explaining complex technical information using simple language without technical jargon, that might sound impressive to you, but is a turn off to the commercial team. Always ask yourself – how would I explain it to my Mum, your kids or a customer!
  • Team player – technologists work as part of a wider team with different skills, views, and ideas. Team players respect differing views even when it might feel like they’re telling you how to do your job. It’s very hard to make a case to promote someone who is seen as being disrespectful to other functions and is perceived to be a bit of a trouble maker.
  • Big Picture thinking – Often it’s the technologists that go above and beyond their day job that stand out. They can see the bigger picture of what’s “really “important to the business and customers. Not only do they see the bigger picture, but they try and do something about it by influencing their bosses, volunteering to head up an initiative/project across the business or simply raising it in team meeting or away days. Remember your business, your bosses don’t have all the ideas and solutions; they are looking for individuals in their teams to help them shape the future.
  • Being assertive – when promoting technologists at any level you want to know that will stand up for what they believe in – particularly in difficult situations; no senior leader in any function wants a yes man/woman. However, it’s a very tricky balance between standing up for what you believe in versus being accused of being stubborn or defensive. Being assertive when you understand the bigger picture, explain your technical concerns simply  (without using jargon), offering alternative solutions/options with a clear customer perspective but being respectful of other colleagues views is much more likely to get the desired outcome that simply thinking that as it a technical issue you know best.

As you can see a lot of the traits are the softer skills and that why it’s often difficult for a manager to clearly explain why someone got promoted and you didn’t. Often you may well have the same technical capability or sometimes even better, but the technical skills alone are not what makes the difference when being considered for promotion!