NEED , DESERVE , WANT
Recruitment expert Robert Kenward guides us through his ‘ need , deserve , want ’ approach to salary negotiations
ast month I wrote about the great resignation and explained how to work out if you should join in or stay put . Whether you decide to ‘ stick ’ or ‘ twist ’, being equipped to handle salary negotiations will be very important . If you twist , then you will have to negotiate a salary with a new employer ; if you are happy to stick with your current employer , then you may want to negotiate a pay rise .
If you fall into either of these categories , read on . Before entering into salary negotiations , you need to get your ducks in a row and work out your need , deserve and want salary figures .
Let ’ s look at the ‘ need ’ figure . This is the most important number and it is not just what you need to simply survive . This figure should be enough to cover your bills and living expenses and also fund what you need to live the life that you want to live . It would cover a holiday or two , regular takeaways and some splurges on some of the nicer things in life .
The next step is to calculate your ‘ deserve ’ figure . This is based on what you know of family and friends ’ salaries , the industry and the current employment environment , because
Left : Robert Kenward , Fitability ® recruiter at YOU Search & Select and founder of The Hub . Jobs many employers are paying more at the moment . The fact that 100,000 people aren ’ t coming back to our industry means there are a lot more opportunities out there . So , you need to consider what do I deserve ? What should I be getting paid ? What is the number that would make me happy ?
The ‘ want ’ number is the moon-shot . This is the shoot for the stars level of figure , and it should be high because you can always negotiate down . The want number has to be sensible though , it can ’ t be completely out of reach because you shouldn ’ t price yourself out of the market by going over the top .
Wiggle room Once you have decided these figures then they will then create your salary bracket , but you have to allow some wriggle room . If your need figure is £ 50k then your bracket should be £ 50k to £ 60k , you have your need figure as your lower bracket because you need that wiggle room and will always hit the need figure whilst generally getting more . Your bracket should be around £ 10k .
Never tell someone what your current salary is ; it ’ s none of their business . If you are ever asked , then simply respond with “ could you let me know why that ’ s important ?” If they push you , then it says more about their culture and values than any website or mission statement you are going to read . Let ’ s be honest , the reason they want to know is because they want to label you . I www . conference-news . co . uk