As a candidate who has spent hours tweaking their CV, completing psychometric tests, meeting with recruiters and attending interviews with countless companies, you find yourself in a position where you have been offered a new job and need to make a decision whether to accept the role or not. Already you may be feeling weary from the time and effort of getting to this stage, but the work isn’t over just yet.

In a perfect world, you could be offered a fantastic compensation package, including school fees for those three darling children of yours, and a personal chauffeur named Rupert. Of course most in this rare situation wouldn’t think twice and would accept the offer quicker than you can say, “To the Batmobile, Rupert!”

Congratulations if this is your reality, however this may not be the case, and as recruiters, we can help you to navigate through the offer process.

According to a recent study, 52% of candidates feel that a competitive salary is the most attractive aspect when deciding to accept a new position. If you have received an offer and think the salary is simply too low, then this is likely to be a major deciding factor in your choice whether to accept or decline. While recruiters will do their best to communicate to the client your salary expectations prior to an interview, there may be many other contributors that result in an offer which doesn’t exactly have you exclaiming “a THOUSAND times YES!”

Negotiating an offer can be a delicate balancing act between the age-old expression: “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”, and being perceived as too pushy - potentially jeopardising the offer, and in the worst case, the employer retracting it completely. This is where the recruitment consultant is your best friend! Having dealt with the consultant throughout initial shortlisting and interviews, you will hopefully have built a working relationship based on trust. An expert who understands the current market, knows you & the client well, and also appreciates your motivations, can make a huge difference to the outcome.

The first thing to do is be honest with them; if you genuinely have reservations about the salary, or were hoping to receive certain benefits, then you need to share these thoughts with the recruiter. You may be in a difficult situation where you feel you are not in a position to negotiate and should take the job regardless of your true feelings towards the employment proposal. Displaying transparency to the recruiter will allow them to understand how you feel, and provide support. Any good recruiter will have your best interests at heart.

The second thing to do is listen to their advice; Recruiters will give their frank opinion. If they feel that a higher offer is achievable then they can articulate this to the client and hope to maximise the salary while ensuring the best outcome for both parties. Alternatively, if you are quibbling over a minor request, then they can help bring some perspective and remind you to focus on the fundamental purpose of your desire for a new job. For example, is your aim to join a company that offers great career progression? If so, it may not be wise to push for an extra 500 dirhams per month when you consider what is really important to you. There may another candidate who is a close second choice with slightly lower salary expectations, and you may end up pricing yourself out of a job that ticks the rest of the boxes for you.

Ultimately the decision to accept an offer of employment is yours, but if you’ve had a positive experience with your recruiter so far, there’s no need to fall at the last hurdle, and they will do all they can to support you right until the end. With a recruiter’s help, that dream job may be more achievable than you think…