Should you accept a salary below your expectation?

Before signing a contract, an employee should have set down a minimum salary below which you cannot work. Photo by Rachel Mabala

What you need to know:

Negotiate. If you are sure of your credentials and experience, there is no need to passively accept whatever is on offer.

One of the most gratifying experiences in life comes when you receive an employment letter from the company you had applied to work for.
It may be a dream job, or it may be just a job to make ends meet. All the same, the fact that the company has chosen you out of the many is an end in itself. However, many times, this excitement is dampened when your eyes scan the contract to the page where the salary offer is written. When an offered salary is below expectations, the new employee can be in a dilemma.
Damalie Namuyiga, the human resource manager, Uganda Local Government Association (ULGA) says the first thing a new employee should inquire about is the benefits.
“Before signing the contract, you need to know what the benefits are. After knowing the payments, you should negotiate. Of course, before this, you should have set down a minimum salary below which you cannot work.”
Andrew Hyeroba, managing partner Utile Solutions Ltd and CEO, My Jobs Uganda, recommends that new employees must sit down and evaluate themselves.
“Whether you are just out of the university or are changing jobs, you have to ask yourself if you can do without a better salary or what you would do if the organisation fails to negotiate upwards,” he told Jobs and Career.

Preparations
“Before you apply for the job, do some research on the organisation and its pay structure,” says Namuyiga.
Research can be done by visiting the company and making discrete inquiries from the receptionist or other workers.
Hyeroba advises; “It doesn’t hurt to ask, although in the private sector such information is confidential. Unless you have someone on the inside, it will be difficult. However, for NGO and government jobs, they have an open policy concerning information.”
Namuyiga cautions not to ask too many direct questions, “or you may be disqualified from applying for the job. Just get what is enough to decide whether to apply or not.”
Alternatively, one can use the internet to research on how people in that particular sector are paid,

During the interview
In most cases, a company will request you to indicate what your previous or current salary is. Some may even request you to attach your last pay slip.
“If you are the best candidate, the company will evaluate your expected salary against what they are willing to offer. If their payment is below what you asked for, they will negotiate.”

This is when an employee will have to value him or herself. If you are sure of your credentials and experience, there is no need to passively accept whatever is on offer. “If you are sure that you are bringing more into the company than is usually expected from new employees, the organisation will be more willing to listen to you,” says Hyeroba.
He adds that many people leave university with only theoretical knowledge of a job but with no practical skills.
“If you studied journalism but have no technical skills, like with a computer, then it will be hard for you to negotiate for a salary. On the other hand, if, in addition to your degree, you can type at a fast speed, can blog, and are comfortable with social media, then you will be on high demand.”
“I sit on interview panels and I get frustrated when an interviewee tells us that they will accept whatever we decide to give them,” Namuyiga adds.
An interviewee should explain to the company the value that you are bringing to them and how it will affect their profit margin, which is the bottom line.

The stand-off
When both sides decide to stick to their requests, a standoff is inevitable. The company knows what value you will bring to them, that is why they chose you. But on the other hand, the job market is fluid. If you reject the job offer, there are a hundred more that would jump at the chance to work for them; at an even lower wage.
“Do not take up a job where you are uncomfortable with the pay,” Namuyiga advises, adding that, “if you do so, you will begin a new work experience when you are already demotivated.”
A demotivated worker is not innovative, and in the long-run, becomes a liability to the organisation. Besides, they will be looking for ways to make deals on the side to make ends meet.
“You have to count your costs,” says Hyeroba.
“If you can survive without a high pay, then stay. If you are a star employee your potential, concerning your excellence at work, will soon be noticed by all. And this will call for a salary increment.”
When faced with the challenge of whether to take up a job, or not, do not make rush decisions. It is more advisable to evaluate your options rationally.
You will also have to take into consideration the job scarcity and the chances that you will receive another invitation for an interview soon.