Negotiate a bonus or higher salary?

How important is a bonus when it's time to negotiate a salary package?

When it comes to negotiating your package when exploring new roles, how much energy should you give to a bonus?

At a certain level, a lot of jobs will come with a bonus offered but a bonus is exactly what it says it is… it’s not guaranteed. So if someone offers you a big bonus and potentially offsets that against your base salary, is that going to be as attractive as a higher base?

My advice is: if the salary you offered isn’t the salary you want, and the client is trying to bridge the gap with a bonus, it’s not really the same thing.

Especially at the moment where we’ve got companies going through slightly tough times. Even if the fact you’ll get a bonus is in writing, it’s also often dependent on external criteria. In other words: it’s likely to be put on hold during leaner economic times. And then where does that leave you?

Aim for a higher salary.

Always.