Undervalued Recruitment Consultant? Here’s How to Negotiate a Raise

4 Steps to Higher Pay in Recruitment

Yeah, we hear you! Your performance is underpaid, and that’s making you unhappy. It should. But what are you doing about it? As a recruitment consultant, you’re used to getting the best compensation package for your candidates. You’re good at it. Never had a complaint. But when it comes to your own salary, it’s a whole different ball game.

Here at Enabled Force, we believe everyone should be paid fairly. But what is fair? And how do you negotiate with your boss to boost your salary to where it should be?

Step 1: Do Your Salary Research

Kick off negotiating your compensation in private. Do your research. Search for average salaries for recruitment consultants in your location. Speak to your network in the industry and find out what they are being paid and how. Armed with this info, you can move onto step 2.

Step 2: Help Your Boss to Realize Your True Value

How can you expect your boss to know you’re underpaid if you don’t tell them? Request a meeting to discuss your salary. In the meeting, highlight your positive contributions:

  • You’re smashing your targets
  • You’re helping the team smash theirs
  • You share your experience and offer advice (that’s a whole bunch of coaching you’re providing)
  • You’re first in, last out
  • You’ve never missed a client call
  • You’ve pulled clients back from the brink of taking their business elsewhere
  • And you’ve helped to develop a real valuable candidate bank

Step 3: Convert Your Value into Dollars

Here’s where you bring that salary research and your true value together. Discuss your findings with your boss. Share which sites you’ve used to do your research. Tell your boss that it appears others with the same experience and in the same role are being paid better elsewhere.

Now, you’re not threatening to leave. You just want fair compensation. So, you’ve got to get this across, too. Explain how much you love your job and the company. Then lock those lips and throw away the key! It’s time for your boss to speak.

What Your Boss Will Say

Your boss is likely to go one of two ways. They’ll either say, “Hey, things are a bit tough right now,” or “Okay, I hear you. Let’s discuss your salary and see what we can do.”

You know one thing for certain. Tough times or not, a few thousand dollars will not break the bank. Especially if it’s to keep a high performer on board.

Step 4: End Positively

If you’re being paid below the average, you’ll probably get offered an upward adjustment to that level of pay. Hell, you’re still worth more! Here’s how to play it:

  • Accept the improvement, but point out your research shows you should be toward the top of the range, not in the middle of it
  • Ask what KPIs you need to hit to get your salary toward the top end of the range

Bam! You’ve won an immediate salary increase and you now know the benchmark for raising it further in the future.

Summing Up

Know your stuff. Be fair. Be focused. Be positive. Set the benchmark for higher earnings in the future. And if you still don’t get the raise you deserve, it may be time to look for greener pastures where your contribution will be fully recognized. To touch base about your career in recruitment, contact Enabled Force today.

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