I’ve gotten a job offer from a different organization. What kind of salary offer should I expect?

This is a good starting point for negotiating your salary as well as one of the few times you’ll be able to do so on your own. Don’t let this opportunity get away from you!

What should you think about?

The most important thing to remember is that your salary’s going to increase! But by how much? It’s been shown that most people receive a salary increase when they switch jobs. Increased responsibility and new tasks mean a higher salary. If you switch jobs from the public to the private sector, your salary demands should generally be a good deal higher – and vice versa.

Remember to check out our salary statistics and use your current salary level as a starting point in the negotiations. As a rule, using an average salary level is an acceptable reference point. It’s common for employees who perform similar tasks to be placed at more or less the same salary level – with adjustments made for experience and seniority. So for you who’s been assigned new tasks, it’s helpful to know something about your co-workers’ salary levels. If there’s a union representative at your company, he/she can help you find out this information.

Speak with your boss

Employers seldom make an offer that’s far too low. This is because they want employees to thrive at work and feel they’re being fairly treated. At the same time, employers often have a bit of latitude with respect to salary offers. We therefore recommend that you always talk with your boss about the salary offer you’ve been given and find out if they can offer you a little more.

Do this in a pleasant way, saying that you appreciate getting new and exciting tasks – and remembering that the worst answer you can get is «no».

Ask in person

Don’t send an e-mail when asking for a salary increase. This is because writing this kind of request can makes you seem a lot more rigid. In the worst- case scenario, you might appear demanding and argumentative, which won’t help your cause if you want to land the job.

Several variations

At the same time it’s important to remember that geographical variations and branches can make a difference. Wherever there’s a lot of demand for your area of expertise, it’s natural for you to ask for a higher salary. While a Technical Manager position probably won’t command as high as salary in Båtsfjord as it would in Drammen or Oslo, the cost of living in these cities varies a great deal as well.

Branch differences also make a big difference when talking about employees’ wages. For instance, in the private sector the oil service industry offers the highest salaries. Yet private R&D (research and development) companies and the healthcare sector often offer lower salaries because they have to compete with the public sector.

Pension’s important

Your pension plan’s a very important part of your overall compensation package, especially if you’re young.

Your pension plan’s a very important part of your overall compensation package, especially if you’re young. Employers are obligated to provide a joint pension plan for all of their employees, so you can’t make any changes to it to suit your own financial situation. However, it is important that you become familiar with the plan that’s being offered to you.

Read more about what in Tekna’s view is a good pension plan.

Determining 1) what an appropriate salary level is, and 2) what an employee should request isn’t an exact science. Tekna has experienced salary negotiators: Please feel free to call us if you want to talk about your situation.

Your to-do list:

Run a quality control check on your contract! Send it to our legal department before signing. Our attorneys will reply to you within two days.

If your prospective organization employs a Tekna union representative, call them and ask what it’s like to work there. Having this conversation could help you a lot! Someone at Tekna’s head office will get you the representative’s contact information.

Remember to ask your employer about the following:

• Is it possible to have a salary review meeting after my trial period is over?
• Will I be included in the regular salary negotiations from the first year I start working for your organization?

If you get a salary offer this year but won’t be starting your job until next year, this offer should take into account
1) your expected salary growth, and
2) the fact that you won’t get any salary adjustment the following year.