Negotiating salary after interview

[V12biTurbo]

I think I may have stitched myself up a bit...

In an initial conversation with a companies HR person about a job I applied for, they asked what my salary expectations are.

I've been a contractor for years now and didn't really know what would be appropriate so I said I wasn't sure for those reasons, but when pushed I said minimum of £xx,xxx pa.

Having done the sums, after tax, id like a few K more.

Would it be unreasonable now after my interview (should I be made an offer) to try and negotiate this up a bit more? £2,000 a year more would be great, but I'm pretty sure they will use the figure I gave as a minimum to make an offer if they do.

Any advice appreciated as I'm not very experienced with this sort of thing!

Thank yoy

[CX53]

If they made you give a vague on the spot figure on the phone I'm sure it's pretty reasonable to try and get an extra couple of grand without looking like a dick

[RTB]

I did the same for my current role. Got offered the job and then asked for a bit more money. The recruiting manager said yes without batting an eyelid. Then again it was a Big Pharma company, so a few grand isn't going to break any budgets and it would have caused him an enormous headache to re-advertise had I refused the offer (I wasn't going to).

Also, due to the fact that I started on a bit more than I would have done had i not asked, over the last 9 years I've netted quite a few quid extra in terms of bonuses, pay rises, pension contributions etc etc.


ETA: I waited until I had a salary offer on the table though (it was more or less the same as my previous role in academia), I asked for more and they said yes....

Edited by RTB on Monday 4th September 15:01

[Muzzer79]

If you're going to do it, do it now. Do not wait until you get an offer.

Waiting until you get an offer screams that you're either playing them off against someone else, incompetent enough to not know how much money you want or are just playing games.

Get in there now to cover this off.

[fat80b]

Muzzer79 said:

If you're going to do it, do it now. Do not wait until you get an offer.

Disagree - you can't go back post interview and pre offer asking for more money...that's just daft

Just wait for the offer and start negotiating from there. They may well surprise you in which case it is not a problem.

I have previously been in a similar position, I told them my number during interview and they came back 20% over the top of this....happy days.

Bob

[V12biTurbo]

Thanks for the replies everyone

I haven't actually had the interview yet, it's tomorrow... the question was asked of me over the phone when the HR dept rang me about my application, and I had to give an on the spot answer.

I'll see how it goes from here

[0a]

Is it worth risking the job for £2k (depending on the total salary this could be a small increase after tax)?

I think in this case the risk is minimal to you are you have not interviewed yet - it's merely a case of having a conversation with the HR department to clarify the right number is in the hiring database.

[Somewhatfoolish]

0a said:

Is it worth risking the job for £2k (depending on the total salary this could be a small increase after tax)?

Of course it is. Don't take a poorly paid job. There's loads around. It's like women tbh.

[six wheels]

I've been pondering a similar issue: put forward for interview at a particular rate which no longer seems competitive. If my application progresses to offer then I plan to negotiate a higher salary.

Would a hiring manager risk a solid candidate for £2k? My own experience when hiring says no.

Good luck OP!

[Moonhawk]

0a said:

Is it worth risking the job for £2k (depending on the total salary this could be a small increase after tax)?

If it's a reasonably senior position - the person they make the offer to is likely to be the only worthwhile candidate.

Would the company risk having to wait months and go through another round of interviews for the sake of £2k?

[Simon_GH]

If you've accepted the offer then the company have the right to say their offer stands and they won't move but in reality, as the other replies suggest, they are likely to be open to a fair negotiation.

I would consider using your research around the going rate for similar roles to back up your request. If done reasonably then I doubt they'll be difficult.

[0a]

Moonhawk said:

0a said:

Is it worth risking the job for £2k (depending on the total salary this could be a small increase after tax)?

If it's a reasonably senior position - the person they make the offer to is likely to be the only worthwhile candidate.

Would the company risk having to wait months and go through another round of interviews for the sake of £2k?

Who knows! I don't. Hiring managers can be strange and take the hump. Obviously in an ideal world you would then conclude you wouldn't want to work there anyway, but we don't live in an ideal world!

[mr_spock]

You could just say you meant the base salary. Clearly there'd be bonus, car allowance, pension, health etc. on top.

[TIGA84]

An offer is merely the start of negotiations, don't worry about it. And for £2k I think you're worrying too much.