It may be the most awkward conversation you can have with your boss. Well, perhaps not THE most awkward conversation, but it’s certainly up there. I am, of course, talking about asking for a pay rise.
For some it will bring on fits of anxiety, others will lose themselves in a cyclone of introverted questions about their self worth. Some will walk straight into their manager’s office and get what they want without so much as an pinch of self doubt in their minds.
If you’re reading this article it’s likely that you are the former and not the latter. So I’m talking to you when I say, don’t let doubt hold you back from achieving your goals or achieving that higher salary. And when it comes to landing a new job to make those dreams come true, the following tactics might just help you get what you deserve.
Negotiating a Higher Salary at Interview
Confidence is a mind set
Over the course of my career I have coached countless candidates for interview. People from all walks of life and with vastly divergent backgrounds; characters that are worlds apart. However, there is one thing that all successful candidates have had: confidence. Some were naturally endowed with self belief, some felt that everything was written and would simply come to be. Others had taught themselves to find it inside.
The fact of the matter is that confidence is a mindset, and everyone can feel it. You need to realise that even if you aren’t completely qualified for the job you’re applying for, if you aren’t 100% certain that you deserve the salary on offer, you need to act like you are. Telling yourself that you will succeed, that you have nothing to fear and that your doubt is simply that – doubt – will transform the way you think about yourself and instill the confidence you need to succeed.
Having problems with confidence? My advice is to not rush yourself. Let it percolate through you, and set minor goals, aligned with your bigger objectives…
Experience matters, but you decide how you tell it
At interview it’s easy to feel like you’re being put on trial. Like you the details of who you are are being scrutinised and laid bare for examination. But it needn’t be like this. Yes, of course you’re being judged on what you say, but you have the power to reframe the dynamic.
One way you can achieve this by using the experiences you have to bolster your points. Drawing from your abilities to speak other languages, or the things you’ve learnt from competing in sports you can demonstrate your tenacity, your abilities to lead, and how you’ve strategised for past achievements.
Don’t lie
It might be tempting. They may ask what your current salary is, and in a bid to ensnare your desired salary, you mark it up a few thousand. Seems like a smart idea at the time, but this can backfire dramatically. Your new employer could ask for your payslips, or simply contact your current employer. If they find out you’ve lied they can revoke the job offer, and then you’re back to square one. Again, you can try to reframe the discussion to avoid topics such as pay, explaining that you will be happy to share payslips further down the recruitment process.
In these situations it’s vitally important that you understand the going rate for your position. If you know what you should expect, and walk into the interview with the confidence you need and experience to back it up, any job can be yours.
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