One of the best ways to increase your salary is to move job and this has never been more the case than over the last 12 months.

My colleague Ewa recently wrote a blog outlining the benefits of using a recruiter – and one area I wanted to focus on was negotiation of salaries.  One of the ways a recruiter can benefit you is advising as to how best you can maximise your earning potential. Whilst this takes some control of the negotiations out of your hands and can be seen as a negative, there is significant evidence to the contrary.

Remarkably, it’s the same arguments against recruiters which form the strongest argument for them. Just like their clients, an agency is a business too. So as much as they want to assist people transitioning from one role to another, it’s also important that people are ultimately very happy with the move. To use an old expression, “A happy customer tells one friend, an unhappy customer tells ten”.

A good recruiter’s primary concern is the satisfaction of both client and candidate.  This forms one of the central tenets of Amicus Recruitments business model. We aim to find the right role and package for all our candidates.  Utilising a recruiter gives you more than just a wider range of potential roles, but also puts the seasoned negotiating skill of the recruiter at your disposal. There are few surer ways to ensure you secure your ideal role and the perfect package to compliment it.

Sometimes the excitement (or relief) of getting an offer and the desire to start the relationship off positively limits a job seekers desire to negotiate. Or sometimes you simply aren’t aware of what you could earn openly on the market.

At present, the average market salary for a legal secretary with 2-3 years’ experience is:

• €26,000 – 27,000

however the average salary we have secured for job seekers within this category has been:

• €28,000 – €31,000

The reality is that much of the market is playing catch up when it comes to salary and this is highlighted by comparing the above two figures. In each of these instances we have also been able to negotiate a better package by highlighting recent recruitment trends to all parties.

If you have 2+ years experience, a 15 minute talk with us could help you earn more money and help you to take the next step in your career.

In conclusion, recruiters are here to help you!  We want to help you secure you a new position while also earn a greater remuneration package.

“Legal Secretaries – What could (should) you be earning?” was written by Laurenda Smyth.  If you are a legal secretary seeking a new role or better salary contact Laurenda on 083 130 8609 or laurenda@amicus.ie