neo-ninja Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 (edited) HI Guys, After some advice on salary. I was approached about by an ex colleague about a new role in a pretty exciting quite big American tech company. I am approached quite often and never really follow them up, either as they aren't offering what it would take me to leave my current job or as the company is just not as good. Anyway this guy approached me, the company initially didn't sound that interesting and early on he asked me what I was earning I of course over inflated my salary somewhat (partly at the time thinking that if they made an offer it would need to be above that for me to go for it) I know in my field my currently salary is low for what I do but the company I currently work for is great and very safe and im comfortable. I must stress this is the only fib I have told in the entire process, everything else is straight I haven't told porkies on any other part of the interviews, and they approached me. *EDIT* I also when i gave the number thought about that i am due to have what i hope is quite a large pay increase etc... However move on a few weeks the role has got more serious and im now in a position where they have made me an offer that is reasonable but not huge to make me consider moving roles so i was going to go back to them and suggest a new figure and the way i got to that figure. However when looking online its made me super nervous as almost everything i can find about negotiating salary says i should not have in effect lied and over inflated my first statement and that the company can, and probably will check when you give them your p45. Which then leads to all kinds of trouble including instant dismissals etc.. Now i really was after some advice, the new job is quite different, more senior, involves me doing a really pricey train commute (around 13% of my salary before tax) etc.. so im pushing for what in effect will be a 70% increase in pay. Which i am pretty sure they will accept. In short im nervous that I have told a fib, and its going to come back and bite me big time because they can check my previous salary! (Which is 100% something I did not think was possible or done!) Advice please? Edited January 27, 2016 by neo-ninja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo-ninja Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 (edited) On this I called a couple of close friends and they both told me i'm mad everyone over inflates their salaries when negotiating jobs, its something thats done but not talked about. The company know everyone does it. By the time they get your p45 your in the company all signed up, its some person in finance who sorts it, and its really not a big deal (Assuming you can do the job of course).. Thoughts? Edited January 27, 2016 by neo-ninja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 They can't do a damn thing about it, I wouldn't worry in the slightest. Lying over quals is a no-no for obvious reasons, but it's 100% their choice on what they want to pay you. The fact you're going back and asking for more, i.e. you're not telling them to match what you have now, just puts the ball even more in their court. I wouldn't worry about it in the slightest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMX Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Just be honest with them, they won't really care what you are currently on, only that they have secured your employment at a cost level they are comfortable with (if they haven't then they shouldn't have made the offer in the first place) Is there someone at the new organisation you can have a frank discussion with regarding this? At the end of the day, do not forget you are/were happy with your previous salary so, you should be comfortable having this conversation. If you get any indication that they offered the salary they did because of what you said your earnings were rather than what they thought you were worth or what they feel the role should be paid....then maybe you should walk away. Just my two-penny worth..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo-ninja Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 They can't do a damn thing about it, I wouldn't worry in the slightest. Lying over quals is a no-no for obvious reasons, but it's 100% their choice on what they want to pay you. The fact you're going back and asking for more, i.e. you're not telling them to match what you have now, just puts the ball even more in their court. I wouldn't worry about it in the slightest. That is pretty much exactly what the people i have spoken to have said! Its just scary ground moving job etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo-ninja Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 (edited) Just be honest with them, they won't really care what you are currently on, only that they have secured your employment at a cost level they are comfortable with (if they haven't then they shouldn't have made the offer in the first place) Is there someone at the new organisation you can have a frank discussion with regarding this? At the end of the day, do not forget you are/were happy with your previous salary so, you should be comfortable having this conversation. If you get any indication that they offered the salary they did because of what you said your earnings were rather than what they thought you were worth or what they feel the role should be paid....then maybe you should walk away. Just my two-penny worth..... So actually I dont feel like i can go back and say "no sorry I want X as thats what it will take me to move, but also the figure i told you before was also quite a bit higher then what i said i was on." I literally wouldn't have battered an eyelid until i was looking stuff up online and it was flagged as a big no no! (Like i said i just assumed it was the done thing, you go balls out asking for as much as you think you can) I just cant imagine anyone when going for a new job and asked the question "how much do you earn now" would go "x" as all the new employers would do is go "x+10%" is what we will give you. But I assumed companies would realise this so ask you what you earn knowing you will say x+25% so they then know that they need to offer you higher then that to get you. Edited January 27, 2016 by neo-ninja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 I wouldn't worry about it. Firstly, it's fairly common. Secondly, if you really came under pressure to explain yourself you could say it was an effort to impress when asked about a new opportunity, or that you had something else in the pipeline on that wage, or you were due a raise, or that you misheard and thought you were asked what money you wanted. If they've offered you an amount, they can afford it and they want you. It's not like you've lied about qualifications or having a criminal record or something critical to the job. If you do really enjoy your current role, might be worth mentioning to your boss that an opportunity has come along at £XXXXX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Just say quite a large portion of the unaccounted for salary was handed over in cash/drugs/escort girls. Can't see a problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMX Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 I love jobs where they pay a portion of your salary in cash, drugs and escort girls. So difficult to find jobs like this these days....bloody accountants!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudman Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 First advice is remove any emotion, a company puts a dollar/pound value on every employee if you say no they will already have a back up. You also need to build in the X Factor on top of current salary. By that I mean longer commute, associated hassles of moving job as you may then consider relocating closer - all that should be included in salary expectation. Good luck with this must admit soon as I feel too comfortable in a job - I get itchy feet and fancy a new challenge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I wouldn't honestly worry about it. I am global head of a large team in a FTSE top 100 company. This has never been an issue in our recruitment process so relax. My advice is to look at the whole package on offer. Pension policy/holiday/sickness cover etc etc. You need to look beyond the numbers in your pay packet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
370Ad Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Are you in sales? If not I wouldn't worry about it. If you are then they will more than likely check your P45 as it does in a way reflect your selling ability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 How big is the company you are moving to? Generally I would find that this isn't a problem, larger companies have set budgets they feel are reasonable to recruit the person they need for the role. You said you are currently underpaid for what you do, they offered you a salary for the role you will come in to within their pre-agreed limits on salary. Trust me their first priorities will be to ensure you hit the ground running and like the role and that you can do the job, salary will be the last concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 From my perspective as both an employee and an employer, To me its irrelevant what salary the person is currently on. Its all about what you (as an employer) think the person is worth and what you are happy to pay them. The only reason companies will ask what your current salary is, is in case they can get away with paying you less than what they are prepared to pay. TBH normally in my line of work, companies ask me what salary I want, rather than what im currently on. But if they ask me what im currently on, I give them a answer which says "im currently on a £xx,xxxx package". So you include stuff like salary, bonus`s, pension contributions the company makes, maybe company car allowance, days holidays, health care, gym membership, expenses etc... it soon adds up. Pension contributions alone can make a big difference. My previous company put in 8% of my salary into a pension scheme. My current company puts in 0%. That alone is a big difference to the overall yearly amount. However, I have been in this same situation once before and it didnt work out well. I went for a job at a big consulting company. One of the first questions they asked me is what salary I wanted. I told them I what I wanted. They didnt blink they were very happy with that. They then put me through a 2 hour psychometric test, plus two 1 hour interviews with 3 of their guys. It took all morning. They loved me and so I got asked to go to their head office in London for another 4 hour interview. I did that, met up with their Senior Director, had an interview with him, more psychometric tests and another long interview with their HR. They all thought I was brilliant and wanted me for the job. Then the problems started. They told the recruitment agency that they wanted proof of my current salary. Quite what it had to do with them I dont know. Problem was id told the agency that I was on a package which worked out at x amount, but the agency wasnt happy as my pay slips only showed y amount. The agency was very aggressive about it all and basically said id lied about my salary. They just refused to understand that my company car allowance was worth £6k plus pension contributions plus £2k yearly bonus all added up to the package price id told them. In the end I didnt get the job. They either told the company I was lying or wasnt interested, or the company withdrew the job offer based upon the agencies feedback. I never did get a straight answer. It was very frustrating as id had 2 days off work and traveled to both their sites at my own expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Tbh, if your worried about P45 just tell them you didnt get one or prev employer is being slack. New tax year is just around the corner by which point P45 will be of no use, you'll get back any over paid tax eventually anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggalo Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I do that all the time when going for other IT jobs. It's never come back to bite me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 If I employed someone and they'd blagged their previous salary, I'd just have to laugh it off. I mean, it's exactly what I'd do, so I couldn't blame anyone else for doing it too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I'd be amazing if the HR payroll bod even bothered to cross reference your application with the P45.....amazed Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I'd be amazing if the HR payroll bod even bothered to cross reference your application with the P45.....amazed Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk You are amazing Ricey ... I think we all agree on that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Guess it all depends on your line of work. In my line of work dishonesty of any kind reflects very badly on a person, so even if you just class it as a harmless fib it wouldn't go down well if it came out. But from most people's replies it looks like you've nothing to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizza2000 Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 From my perspective as both an employee and an employer, To me its irrelevant what salary the person is currently on. Its all about what you (as an employer) think the person is worth and what you are happy to pay them. The only reason companies will ask what your current salary is, is in case they can get away with paying you less than what they are prepared to pay. This is spot on for me as an employer, I have a wage budget per overhead and we try to get new staff within these wage parameters, we could say for instance pay a little less for an unqualified first job applicant (obviously they would get pay reviews and gradually get to our max budget) but what we saved originally we would spend on an aggressive wage package to employ someone we knew that was already respected in our industry. No previous wage checks, as rabbitstew said they give us a figure and we negotiate from there and depends how much we want them and willing to pay 😀 Good luck I'm sure you will be fine, you have to play the game and employers know that, just don't ask for 1million a year lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo-ninja Posted January 29, 2016 Author Share Posted January 29, 2016 Yo guys! Quick one just to say big thanks for advice as always! Calmed my nervous pushed for a little more and they have agreed. Now just trying to lock down whole package (holiday etc..) Thanks for the advice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizza2000 Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.