Should you compromise your salary expectations for the right role? The short answer…? – YES – You should consider it at the very least.

I can’t tell you how many times we see candidates pass up their perfect role to take a position that they are unsure about purely because it’s paying more money. Only for them to come back in the not too distant future and say they are unhappy and looking again for a new role (just like one they had previously turned down).

Alternatively, we meet with candidates who have already left their most recent role (for any number of reasons) and are currently unemployed. They don’t want to compromise their salary expectations (or earn less than what they were previously on – even though they currently have zero income) and they turn down a great opportunity because that job is paying slightly under their expectations. By the time they actually find a job paying what they wanted, they have lost more money than they would have if they took the original role that was offered! (Hindsight here can be a wonderful thing).

I experienced this same dilemma, pre-Sprint and learnt first hand, that compromising your salary expectations should always be a consideration for the right role!

A number of years ago, I was lucky enough to be offered two roles. At the time I thought all my Christmas’s had come at once! I had a good feeling about one of the companies, but the other role (that I was a little bit concerned about) was paying $5,000 more.

I asked for the weekend to think over my options….And went about asking family and friends which role I should take. The general response was “the one that pays more, of course!”. So that’s what I did!

I soon found out my gut feeling was right. The role wasn’t for me. I woke up in the middle of one night with that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and the realisation that I had made the wrong decision!!! And let me tell you – once I realised this – that extra $5,000 per year did not make it any easier to get up in the morning and head off to work.

So, should you CONSIDER compromising your salary expectations for the right role?

Absolutely! Remember that most of us spend more time at work than we do at home. So take the role that that you will enjoy more, with the people that you connect more with etc. and you won’t regret it!

As well, over time, if you go in and prove yourself, you will more than likely be given opportunities to ask for a salary increase. Think of the long term and not just the short term gain.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that money isn’t important. We all have budgets, expenses and/or mortgages to think of and I can’t tell you what the magic dollar number is that is worth sacrificing for the right role. It’s a bit of a mathematical game and it is very personal decision. However, I encourage everyone to stop and think before they turn down their dream role purely due to salary. If money is the ONLY reason that you’re considering turning down a role, at least consider the possibility of making it work.

If this is something you are struggling with, feel free to get in touch with us here at Sprint and have a chat. We are only too happy to help you go through your pros and cons list and talk it over.