A new study has discovered that almost one in five (18%) of UK employees confess that they would exaggerate their current salary when speaking to potential employers.
This exaggeration jumps to one in four (approx 24%) among 16-24 year olds.
Based on “The Glassdoor research” the average inflation is approximately £4k.
We have written extensively about how important it is not to lie on your CV or during a recruitment process and would say the same on exaggerating your salary. Some of the Employers that we work with will ask you to evidence your salary and benefits so, should you have to produce your pay slip the fact that you have lied would come up and the Employer may then doubt your integrity and chose to not offer you the role!
There are much more effective ways to negotiate receiving the salary you are looking for when applying for a new job, here are some tips which might help you both when you are looking for a new role or trying to negotiate a salary increase.
Prepare a list your accomplishments: Look for, where possible, accomplishments that can be related to financial results – perhaps you have saved a previous employer money, maybe you have found a lower cost vender, perhaps you have been responsible for or instrumental in the security of some new business. Put a Pound value on your accomplishments. Documenting your accomplishments and presenting them in financial terms clearly highlights your value in language a potential Employer will understand
Know the market: Find out what others in comparable jobs are paid. Do your homework, check professional associations, career magazines, and classifieds & internet sources. Your own company HR office may be a resource, get facts and figures, and use them appropriately when justifying your request for classification/pay change.
Be realistic: Before you embark in a salary negotiation develop a realistic expectation or salary objective. Be clear on what you seeking. Be sensitive to the Employers perspective. She/he has budget constraints to deal with and may have to take your request to a higher authority or you may have to wait for a new budget to take effect.
Even if you may not be able to get the salary you are looking for, perhaps there are other awards or benefits that may be available based on your performance.