Sell yourself

When negotiating your salary, place a value on your skills.

Negotiating a salary is a psychological game. To avoid starting off with a low salary, it may be wise of you to make the first move. If you are a member of IDA (The Danish Society of Engineers), you have access to the trade union’s interactive salary calculator, which will help you (in detail) find the average salary rate for the type of job you’re looking for. You may find that the rate varies depending on which part of the country the job is located in. Information listed on the website of your professional organization will enable you to make a realistic suggestion for a starting salary. However, if you are at a job interview at a larger company, the topic of negotiating a salary might not be approached during the first interview.

For 2015, IDA recommends the following guidelines for minimum salaries: graduate engineers, Masters of Science, and other members with a long-length education: 37,300 Danish kroner per month. Bachelors of Engineering, bachelors, and other members with a medium-length education: 35,600 Danish kroner per month.
If you apply for a job in a company that employs various types of professions, finding out what a Master of Arts and other academics earn at that same workplace will give you an idea of the salary level. After all, you want to seem confident, when you make your salary demands.

Keep in mind that a salary consists of more than your monthly pay, such as, for instance, annual periods of paid leave (holidays) and workplace benefits (fitness, access to cheap food in the cafeteria, health plans, pensions, and more). Instead of immediately accepting a salary you sense is low, ask the employer to list the various benefits.

IDA’s legal experts are also more than willing to inspect contracts, before you sign them. Before attending the job interview, you may also want to call the union representative at the workplace and inquire about the local salary level.

Sources: IDA, Djøf, AAK