A friend of our youngest son, nearing the end of his first year at a mid‑size accounting firm, asked for advice on negotiating his salary. He wanted a rise but wasn’t sure where or how to pitch this to his employer.
Although hired as a trainee accountant, his role had grown well beyond that. With a programming background and early experience using AI, he had been developing internal tools and apps—some with commercial potential—which the firm valued highly. The firm acknowledged he was performing well beyond expectations and possessed skills that would attract a much higher salary elsewhere.
His research confirmed this: he could more than double his income in New Zealand and even triple it in the UK. Despite that, he enjoyed living in New Zealand, valued his employer, and appreciated the autonomy and opportunities he’d been given. He wanted to stay but didn’t want to appear either greedy or sell himself short.
I advised him to map out his actual responsibilities and estimate the time spent on each. From there, he could benchmark market salaries for each component and calculate a proportional figure. He also needed to clarify his objectives, set priorities, and identify possible trade-offs.
We discussed the company’s goals and objectives, and I encouraged him to confirm these with his manager. Once he’d done this, I encouraged him to frame his proposal around how it met the organisations needs as well as his own. I suggested he present his comparative salary data to the company so that it could easily be externally validated.
We also built a “wish list” including bonuses, preferred projects, development opportunities, additional support, and potential profit‑sharing for tools or products he created that generated new revenue—especially those developed independently outside of work but that were applicable to the business.
A couple of weeks later, he called to say he had achieved everything he asked for.
Key lessons:
Prepare properly:
- Be clear what you want and prioritise your objectives
- Understand your value to your employer and the wider market
- Have a wish list
Be collaborative;
- Share information openly
- Check your assumptions are correct
- Be specific about what you want - Make realistic conditional proposals
- If asked to move from your position, trade for value from your wish list
Our young friend was fortunate to learn these life-changing lessons early in his career, but they’re skills anyone can develop and apply at any stage of their career to help achieve outcomes that work for everyone. Contact Scotwork NZ if you'd like to learn how.
E: info@scotwork.co.nz
P: 021398644
