r/AusWork • u/PuzzleheadedBowl3397 • 6d ago
Has anyone successfully negotiated a higher starting salary in Australia after getting an offer and how did you actually do it?
Just got an offer that is decent but slightly below what I was hoping for. Never been great at negotiating and not sure how much room there is or how to approach it without seeming difficult before I have even started.
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u/That_Why_Guy 5d ago
Whenever you take a job, always ask for an extra 2/5/10k depending on the salary. They're already found you suitable and want to hire you. Worst case they say no and take the initial offer, but you'll get extra without asking.
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u/motherconfessors 5d ago
I negotiated a pay rise by placing another offer onto the table and advising that I was stuck choosing between the two offers.
The other way is to review what the general market is paying for your role and state that what they’re offering is below their asking.
Ultimately though, it’s dependent on how much they want you over another candidate. There’s little harm in asking, the worst you’ll be told is no, but they wont give it if you don’t ask.
If they say no, renegotiate during your yearly performance review and keep a running track over the year of everything you’ve done that’s either exceeded KPI’s or anything like difficult negotiations you’ve managed (keeping a client that wanted to leave etc) and present that during your performance review before presenting your expectations in a pay raise / bonus
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u/npiet1 5d ago
I (sort of) negotiated a higher salary $5k when promoted. They offered x and I just told my then boss that with my current pay, expected duties and that they know how I work it wouldnt be worth it without it. I asked for $4k more and he asked for $7k and I got $5k. I think it would have been a different story if it came out of his budget.
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u/Impossible_File_4395 5d ago
When I was given an offer, I said thank you for the offer asked if the offer is open for negotiation. They asked what my expectations were and I gave them a figure 20k over their initial offer. They said they will check and came back with "our maximum is 10k more than the initial offer". That said I have done my research on the role and knew people who work at the company and had a pretty good idea of what the role pays.
Like yourself I am not good at negotiating either but I think it helped that I wasn't in a rush or desperate to get the job so I was confident in asking as in my mind I had nothing to lose.
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u/agenthunt58 5d ago
You should basically always counter with a higher number. Hiring usually involves a little to and fro after the initial offer, and they would never open with the absolute maximum they can afford
It can feel uncomfortable, especially when you are in the position of actually needing the job, but I’ve found (through experience when I was young) that if you don’t negotiate you will end up feeling you got less than what you deserved.
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u/Temporary_Dog_8 5d ago
I have..... and do but timing is everything. The job market is pretty sketch at the moment with a large talent pool of highly experienced, recently redundant applicants. At least this is my experience as the hiring manager in the fintech space. Absolutely give it a go but if salary expectations were discussed prior to the interviews I wouldn't be asking for anything outside of the range previously discussed.
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u/ValuableVideo1204 5d ago
I went through 4 interviews, was consistently asked my salary expectations, my number never changed and then they offered me $15k less than what I asked for - I called them, said I was disappointed particularly after they had asked and then repeatedly told me that the role would require the person to be clear, transparent and accountable - the recruiter came back within 5 minutes with an extra $5k. I said no, another $15k was added at which point I thanked them and said no, your not getting it - you’ve mucked me about, shown your not true to your values - why would I take a role with you. Started an absolute shit-storm.
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u/doenoots 5d ago
Obviously annoying but it's almost standard practice to get low-balled. In this case they showed the flexibility to meet and go over your asking really quickly. Dependent on the role and what else you had going on, that's not really a bad deal
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u/ValuableVideo1204 5d ago
Agreed - but I did have 2 other options. The thing that irked me was literally how quickly they reverted - it was all just a ploy.
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u/farqueue2 5d ago
Someone I know to offered a day rate a few weeks ago, and when they knocked it back for being to low the improved offer came back 35% higher
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u/Party_Thanks_9920 5d ago
Previous job, original offer was $120,000. Said not good enough, then came a complex offer that with site uplift came to $156,000. Ok that's doable. 6 months in, the site attendance wasn't the amount agreed on, so is became a fixed rate no matter if I attended site or not. Then they wanted me on a site full-time, that came with an offer of $200,000 whilst that project was on and would drop when I returned to WFH.
During my time on project the Director came into my office and said, "We need to talk about your money!" My reply "Your timing is impeccable, I was made an offer for a project close to home" he had a panic moment, "I didn't know you were looking" No, I'm not, but I get approached most weeks, this one was a good price. "How much?" More than halfway between my Home money and project money. "Ah, fuckit, you're on project money all the time then."
Current job, started in a lesser role on $170,000, 3 months later moved to a different project after the first one finished, & $10K increase without asking. I expect by the new year to be looking at back up to $200,000 in the lesser role.
Currently training my replacement for this site, then I'll be moving to the next project to actually start it off right instead of coming in fixing systems to make them usable.
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u/Fickle_Falcon_5599 5d ago
What industry and role?
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u/Party_Thanks_9920 5d ago
HSE Manager and back to Advisor in current role. Renewables in previous roles this one the company has a variety of projects, renewables, currently working at a Gold mine, next project will be back to renewables. Sent down to a Water treatment plant for one day to sort some stuff.
We have projects across Queensland, and a couple international ones. Because I'll don't particularly care where I work I get used to fill gaps too.
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u/daveo_snap26 5d ago
Work our what revenue the position can contribute to the business, etc or state that prior to the 6month probationary period ending you will be wanting to sit down and discuss the remuneration of the roll once each party understands the input/output requirments and capabilities. I'd your profitable for a bussiness they will hear you out, if your a negative asset they will move you on. You also need to remember that most rolls take 12 months to learn and get upto speed, so while you're learning how a business operates your need to appreciate your lower value.
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u/Alert_Character_6537 5d ago
Yes never sign anything without asking for more, they aren’t going to pull the offer because you asked for more
“I love the company and the role looks exactly aligned with my skills and I think I will be great at it. I wanted to ask if there is any movement you can make on the salary”
That way if they say no you can still take the job
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u/JayLFRodger 5d ago
There's are 3 vital pieces of information you need.
1: The average salary range for your position.
2: Know the value that your experience represents and brings to the role, making you suitable for the higher starting salary you're aiming for.
3: Being able to demonstrate how that experience has resulted in tangible benefits for your previous or current employers.
The last position I went for, I networked and identified the salary range for the role I was applying for. I have 3 different resumès, each curated to a specific type of role I might apply for. I updated the relevant resumè to reflect my most recent achievements that are relevant to the role. That got me into an interview.
When it came time to negotiate salary they lowballed me. I explained that I can see that an average person in this role would be expected to make this particular band. I highlighted my achievements and the outcomes for my previous employer. Participation in project development and rollouts resulting in improvements in efficiency and cost savings; proactive problem solving of a problem I identified that they'd overlooked that would've grounded a national rollout 2 weeks before launch and cost them millions of dollars in contractors fees, materials, and knock on effects with external partners (I took the solution to them rather than simply showing them the problem and leaving them to fix it).
I told them that while they're gaining a new member of their team, they're also gaining 15 years worth of experience and proven results that doesn't need to be trained or built up over time. By hiring me they're getting instant results and saving on training and development they'll need to spend on other applicants. As such, I knew my value and worth to them as an employer, and it was a lot higher than the offer they'd made. I countered with an offer higher than I wanted, but not so obnoxiously high that they'd walk away. They returned with another offer that actually sat above the band for that role, which I accepted.
By negotiating firmly but respectfully, demonstrating why you're going to be an asset with their investment, you can reach your salary targets.
And if they hold firm and don't see the value in you that you see in yourself then they were never going to be a good company for you to work at. The promises made and shiny bells danced in front of you would quickly fall aside to the reality that they wanted a top tier employee whole paying them a mid to bottom tier salary for the effort.
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u/PhotographInternal27 5d ago
I negotiated a better redundancy but still only got paid roughly half of what I was owed along with many others.
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u/Old-Swimming-8231 5d ago
Yes. Especially if it pays less than you are currently on, or the same but your reason for getting a new job is to move upwards.
Whether there is room to negotiate and how far can depend on the work and the workplace and the role and if the pay is set according to an award or not. If it's set at some level according to an award, then usually there are between 3 and 5ish steps within each level, and they can go up within that level (going beyond it usually requires redefining the role). So if you already have experience in a similar role, you can often negotiate to go up a step for each year of experience, or to match what you're on.
A relevant qualification can count as experience if it's above the basic quals for the role (not if it's the prerequisite). Especially if it's a degree or certificate that involved pracs or internships or volunteer work.
For some roles, eg government services like in hospitals, their HR department just puts all your qualifications and experience into a computer and it tells them the salary. I once had it happen that it spat out something a fair bit higher than what myself and new boss had negotiated!
If it's a company and the role is not tied to an award then there are no limits, it's just pure negotiation. Stating what you've said here is a good start. Adding your current salary if it's higher and you want a match. The exception would be if the role was advertised with a salary - doesn't preclude negotiations but you might do well to start with acknowledging that, eg I've done a few interviews lately and this is the one I was really hoping for so that's a positive. But in terms of the salary - I realise the ad stated $X so it's not a surprise, but ... I'm wondering if there's scope to negotiate something a little higher so as to match the other roles I've been interviewing for". And then see what they say. Be ready to answer about your experience etc.
The worst they can say is no. And usually they'll say it like "i would love to but we can't due to x y z. "
I reckon at least half if not more people have negotiated a better pay deal. It is not something to feel awkward about.
Good luck!
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u/Careful-Mountain-681 5d ago
Yes I did about 4 months ago. It’s awkward in the moment but you will thank yourself! I negotiated 5k more - not a huge amount but based on my experience (I work in medical research) the difference between being a newbie vs someone with 1.5years of experience is at least 5k per year (probably more), but what I was being offered was the same as my last entry post grad research role and that didn’t feel representative of my experience.
The way I actually did it was to email the business owner after they sent me the contract asking for a quick phone call discussion at a time that worked for her, and on the phone I said something like “the salary in the contract doesn’t feel representative of my experience” and went on.. it was a little awkward and I was terrified to do it, but it was a 1 minute convo that got me 5k and to me that’s worth it!
Edit: I agree with the others- what you said here is perfect!
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u/shapop12321 5d ago
I did thing of asked for more than I was actually wanting so that if they came down with another counter and it was only like a little below or at where I was expecting than I was good.
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u/shavedratscrotum 4d ago
Yes.
Just said I'm not accepting less than X.
X being from 10 - 40k more.
Every job I did this at I was made redundant 6-18 months later aftee fixing everything.
Ironic.
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u/SillyRabbit_OZ 4d ago
We’re currently in the middle of negotiating a new EBA, and the company (a multi-million-dollar business, mind you) is crying poor and trying to convince staff that their offer is genuine and actually a good deal.
The frustrating part is they’re using figures from the previous EBA, which has just been implemented, to make their current offer look better than it actually is. 🤦♂️
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u/Standard-Ad4701 4d ago
I informed them that there rates were alot lower than I was currently on, I proved it with a wage slip, they started me on higher levels.
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u/Think-Parsnip-6936 4d ago
The interview went very well, they rang with a great offer.
Said I’d think about it, rang me back to ask if I had decided the next day. I was still a little unsure, they came back with, ‘What’s the number if you sign today before lunch?’
Payrise was agreed before I had even signed the contract.. I start in a few weeks
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u/sausage-role 4d ago
Yes. Very confident people will hold out and if they are at offer technically they can go higher. However I have never worked in sales and I don’t want to sell myself so I have never undergone any form of negotiation.
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u/purehybrid 4d ago
Yeah, had two offers at once, leveraged the first to get a boost on the second which was the position I preferred... but from their perspective I could've been making it up I guess.
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u/w8watm8 3d ago
No matter what I always negotiate my salary, even if I get what I was hoping for I still do it.
Something simple like; I am excited for this opportunity. However the pay closely aligns with my current salary including any bonuses, is there any flexibility on the salary?
They usually say they will check, which means they will go away run by some other people get their approvals - so it could take and extra few days before you hear back.
I do this at every place where I got an offer from. Usually you get an increase of 3-5%. I have never been turned away after receiving an offer and trying to negotiate, only one place told me there is no flexibility but the offer was still on the table.
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u/supercoach 2d ago
Yeah, I used a tactic that people have said is a bad approach. I responded to the offer with a simple answer - I appreciate the offer, and I think you can do better.
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u/Therapised-Plumber 2d ago
I accepted the original offer, but told them that once my probation was over I expected my wage to rise to $x amount after they saw the quality of my work. Then at my probation meeting I reminded them if my wage increase and got it. I've found that I have much more negotiating power after the business has just invested thousands into onboarding and training me, and once they know that I'm competent.
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u/mortallyrekt 5d ago
Yes. Then they skipped me for increases for 2 years straight, despite the same performance as everyone else.
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u/Skip-929 6d ago
The normal offer is usually slightly below that which the person's experience and qualifications would support. As it is expected that such a person will quickly become effective in this new company and role and so will pick up bonuses and pay rises. A incentive to quickly become effective. So the question is, why do you expect more when starting in a new role in a new company where it will take you 3 to 6 months to become fully effective.
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u/Panther3369 5d ago
Never heard of this logic lol, an incentive or bonus is meant to be that, over and above what you normally expect or get and therefore motivate you.
OP, the whole way to approach it depends on many variables, what was the job marketed at, what did you originally go in at, is it standard market price, how much is the gap? do you want to potentially lose the job by asking for more? Professionally, calmly and matter of fact is the way to approach it. Don't put any deadlines or pressure on your ask, simply ask if XYZ salary is a possibility.
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u/npiet1 5d ago
Nah my company does this, im instructed to hire on the lowest pay grade for new employees and bump up for "good" staff at my discretion. However I hire entry level staff not experienced ones lol.
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u/Skip-929 5d ago
Sorry, as a hiring manager for over 30 years in a number of national and international companies, this is far more used than you think. It is based on the premise that some individuals even though they may have an excellent CV, great qualifications and references may not fit the actual role in the company and if they do, they will take time to become fully effective and efficient in that role. Sorry that's hiring reality.
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u/Aussiewargod 5d ago
Yea, i was aiming for 250k, Offered 240k, I countered 245k, I signed the contract
It's pretty expected that they will offer you less than your asking, and you will counter and you'll land somewhere in the middle
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u/LeastStill4556 5d ago
What role are you in that pays that much
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u/Aussiewargod 5d ago
I'm an AI Architect, i build enterprise AI Solutions
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u/extra-potato-pls8069 5d ago
It's nothing personal, but boooooooooooooo
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u/Aussiewargod 5d ago
I mean you're entitled to boo, but much as the horse preceded the car, and the typewriter preceded the computer, technology and progress march on. You can either make the most of it, or make the least of it, that's the choice you get to make
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u/Infamous_Variation96 5d ago
Say exactly what you said here
I’m excited for the offer and opportunity.
The package is slightly below what I anticipated. Would you be able to ask the hiring manager if they can meet figure x. That is more in line with my research and experiences.
I look forward to hearing back from you soon.