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So you’ve had a professionally written CV, applied for your dream job, succeeded in securing an interview, had a few hours of interview coaching – and now you’ve got the job. Congratulations! The next hurdle could fill you with dread and be potentially tricky: negotiating your new salary. Not everyone likes talking about money but having got this far you want to ensure you are getting the right level of remuneration.

Here are some salary negotiation mistakes to avoid and help you on the path to the salary you deserve.

1. Be prepared: know what you want before you get asked. If you’re caught out, you risk losing out.

2. New job, new salary: your new job doesn’t have to have the same salary as your previous job. You can justify your old salary based on the work you did before. Chances are you’ve taken a step up and so your salary should reflect that.

3. Be truthful: equally, don’t lie about your previous salary in order to get a raise this time around. Your new employer may well find out.

4. Check out the going rate: ask others in similar positions what to expect and don’t rely on online salary sites. Real people earning real salaries will be a better guide.

5. Beware of ‘between’: if you say you’re looking for something between xx and xxx, you’ll probably get offered the smaller amount. Make sure you’re happy with this sum before even mentioning it.

6. Don’t be obtuse: if you’re asked for a figure, name one. If you don’t, the next candidate will. Employers don’t need to spend time drawing figures out of you.

7. Negotiate: don’t be afraid! Equally, don’t be aggressive – negotiation works both ways so you will need to strike a balance. If an employer turns you down on the basis of a salary negotiation, you probably wouldn’t want to work for them anyway.

8. Look beyond the salary: consider other benefits that mean you keep more of your take home pay, such as healthcare, pension or childcare vouchers. Factor those in to your bottom line expectation.

9. If you don’t ask, you don’t get: if salary isn’t mentioned, you should feel able to bring it up. It’s a driving factor to why we’re at work in the first place so it’s important to be clear.

10. Benefits: if there’s no negotiation on salary to be done, ask about other benefits, as in point eight. They are called benefits for a reason and could make a big difference.

Virtual interviews, interview question avoid, salary negotiations

In addition to a team of excellent CV writers and interview coaches, City CV have trained coaches on hand to help you with confidence building to get through interviews, salary negotiations and more. We can tailor all sessions to your needs. There’s advice and information on our website, or call +44 20 7100 6656 to talk through some options, or email us at enquiries@citycv.com.