How do you negotiate salary during interview?

[Tejal Pande]

Hi all,
I need some suggestions for negotiating salary. How do you negotiate the salary? Can you mention that the offered salary is less than the market standard for your no. of years of experience? Or can you say that you have a better offer than this? What can be the most professional way to negotiate?

I have 4.5 years of experience in Java/J2EE and looking out for a contract job in the UK in midlands area. The rate as per salary survey websites typically varies between �250-300 for 4-5 years of experience. I am scheduled for an interview next week. However, the rate they are offering is very less, �200 per day. Since I really need a job, I might accept the offer. But I still want to negotiate for something more than �200. Therefore, I want some help from experienced ranchers for doing so.

Thanks in advance,
Tejal
[ January 13, 2006: Message edited by: Tejal Pande ]

[Jesus Angeles]

There are amazing tips that you can find just by searching yahoo or google.

The tips help a lot.

One of the tips is: Never be the first one to state a salary amount. Let him be the first one to say a price.

[Ali Hussain]

I have 4.5 years of experience in Java/J2EE and looking out for a contract job in the UK in midlands area. The rate as per salary survey websites typically varies between �250-300 for 4-5 years of experience. I am scheduled for an interview next week. However, the rate they are offering is very less, �200 per day. Since I really need a job, I might accept the offer. But I still want to negotiate for something more than �200.

Personally I do not think anything above �200 is a bad rate, especially if you have not worked in the UK before. If I was you, I would try to negotiate upto �250, and will settle down for a bit less too. I guess they might go upto �220-�230, since they normally keep this kind of margins for negotiations.

The �250-300 rate depends on the location i.e. higher if you work in the city (London allowance), which does not apply to you. Some of them even ask for a degree from Oxbridge (or atleast pay you more if you have one), which I guess you do not have. So it is not just as simple as 4-5 years of experience, there are many other factors.

Good luck with the interview and tell us how it goes.
[ January 17, 2006: Message edited by: Ali Hussain ]

[Mark Herschberg]

One tip can be found here.

--Mark

[Tejal Pande]

Thanks for your suggestion Ali! Actually I was thinking of doing same; negotiating till �250 so that I can get arround �225. Lets see how it goes...

Btw, are you employed in the UK? as a contractor? If yes, can you throw some light on IR35 issues. I have been reading a lot about it on UK contractor's site. any help in this regard would be highly appeciated.

Regards,
Tejal

[Tejal Pande]

Originally posted by Mark Herschberg:
One tip can be found here.

--Mark

Thnaks for the Mark! It's really helpul!!

-Tejal

[Ali Hussain]

I have never worked as a contractor and have no knowledge about IR35.