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Salary Story: A Recruiter Helped Me Make A £20,000 Pay Jump

In our series Salary Stories, women with long-term career experience open up about the most intimate details of their jobs: compensation. It’s an honest look at how real people navigate the complicated world of negotiating, raises, promotions and job loss, with the hope it will give young women more insight into how to advocate for themselves — and maybe take a few risks along the way.

Been in the workforce for at least five years and interested in contributing your salary story? Submit your information here. Published stories receive £100.

Age: 29
Location: London
Current industry and job title: Technology, legal counsel
Current salary: £105,000
Number of years employed since school or university: Six
Starting salary: £24,500 in 2018.
Biggest salary jump: From £50,000 to £72,500 in 2021.
Biggest salary drop: N/A

Biggest negotiation regret: Relying on pay reviews to negotiate more money. You are your own best advocate; don’t wait for someone to recognise your hard work and reward you.

Best salary advice: Don’t be shy about knowing market rates and where you sit within that, and don’t let job changes or adversity such as redundancy stop you knowing your worth. Always be prepared to demonstrate all the amazing skills you have and what you bring to the table in every single interview and appraisal.

I tried to negotiate my salary but was unsuccessful. When I started this job, I was a graduate who had also completed a law conversion course and I had a fair amount of work experience to bring to the table. I was aware of how much my peers were being paid, either as paralegals or as part of a graduate scheme, and I was of the view that this salary was low in comparison. My prospective employer agreed the salary was lower than my peers doing potentially similar roles but said they were a young business and this was the salary they could offer and it sat within their salary banding for that role at the time. I accepted the salary because the opportunity outweighed my outgoings which, while still living at home, were relatively low. I suspect my employer knew this to be the case! 
The salary brackets were dictated by the firm but I had to ask/negotiate my salary up. My reasons for negotiating were twofold. Firstly, this was a role change and came with increased expectations around performance and working hours. Secondly, after the business was acquired by a larger law firm, my salary of £24,000 was significantly lower than other trainees in the business who were on approximately £45,000 in London and £39,000 in regional offices.

I approached the CEO with these facts and the support of one of the more senior members of the team who helped me formulate how I communicated with the CEO. I initially requested the same salary as a London trainee, as part of my role required some work in the London office, but accepted their counter offer of the same salary as other trainees in regional offices with the agreement to revisit the negotiation should my role require more than occasional time spent in London. It was hard fought, due to budgets at the time, but I was happy with the outcome. When I moved to London six months later, I did receive an uplift to (almost) align with the London trainees as agreed. 

I moved firms and managed to negotiate a salary of £50,000. Upon qualification as a solicitor there is an automatic uplift in salary and this is largely standardised across firms. This salary was in line with my colleagues at the firm. It’s the easiest salary uplift I have ever had as I knew it would happen!
After about six months in my previous role, I knew I wasn’t particularly enjoying it and could find a more interesting role. I also know that the salaries in the market at my level could be a lot higher in the right role in the right sector. I began looking for a new role and in the end was offered this position. I worked really hard to push my salary up by pitching my skills, clearly setting out all my experience to date, showing that I was coming to the role with valid experience and that I understood the market rate for candidates at my level.

When making these big job changes I worked with a good recruiter. They can be a great asset when negotiating salary as they understand the client’s expectations as well as the candidate’s. My original ask was £75,000 but I managed to secure an offer of £72,500. The job had been advertised at £67,000.

Towards the end of 2022 I was made redundant. While this was a difficult process and experience to go through, I saw it as an opportunity to strive for another big jump into a challenging role and higher salary.

I went to the recruiter who helped me get my last job and was fortunate to receive multiple job offers, which leaves you in a strong negotiating position. One of these roles offered £80,000 and the other £85,000, both with 10% bonuses. I knew I wanted to take the role on the lower salary but after expressing that I needed some time to consider the two offers together, the business reached out to match the higher offer. I countered by asking for a bonus uplift to 20%, then accepted the role.

I think it is nerve-wracking standing firm on your expectations, whether you have one offer or a couple, as there are no guarantees of success. I think it’s about getting comfortable with knowing they may decide to walk away. After several job moves and a redundancy, I am of the mentality that what’s not meant for you will pass you by! 

I am still in the same role, working towards a promotion. I have had a pay rise through standard pay review cycles but negotiated a more significant increase, which leaves me currently at £105,000 plus a 20% bonus.

This increase is a result of me setting out all the additional work streams and responsibilities I have taken on since I joined, while researching the current market rate for my level and job type, then sitting down with my manager to talk it through. When I discuss my next promotion, I’ll be entitled to a pay review then, too.

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