Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa

Salary negotiations can be a tricky part of the recruitment process.

Read: Should job ads include potential salary pay? It's a tough one for our listeners

Human resources (HR) consultant Otis Letsoalo says companies offer remuneration packages based on a candidate's skills, expertise and experience.

He says a job package is determined by the level of the job category, the person's skills and the requirements of the job.

When an employer writes a letter of offer to a suitably qualified candidate, they often ask for the person's payslip.

According to Letsoalo, submitting a payslip does not disadvantage a prospective employee, but can instead help a candidate negotiate for benefits.

Also read: Recruiters requesting payslips seen as unfair practice

Letsoalo says candidates are also able to ask for a dummy payslip before accepting a job.

He advises that job seekers should conduct research on the market rate salary offered for their position.

When you apply for a position, you have to take into account what a company is offering and if you fall within that range.

— Otis Letsoalo, Human Resources and employee consultant

Salaries are regulated by the company's policies and procedures.

— Otis Letsoalo, Human Resources and employee consultant

In most cases during interviews, panelists never ask you how much you are looking for.

— Otis Letsoalo, Human Resources and employee consultant

I would advise job seekers to make their payslips available if the prospective employers requires one. It doesn't disadvantage you.

— Otis Letsoalo, Human Resources and employee consultant

Letsoalo explains that Cost to Company (CTC) describes the total amount of expenses a company spends on an employee each year.

This may include medical aid, petrol or cell phone costs and other benefits.

Many job applicants find CTC misleading and often confuse it with their take-home income.

Take a listen to the informative discussion:

why are recruiters asking for my recent payslip? is that even lawful? that gives me a huge disadvantage in terms of negotiating for a salary in the new role.@Eusebius

— khomo (@khomo1010) March 7, 2018

@Eusebius this thing of providing payslips is how a friend ended up earning about R200k less than the minimum salary for his position coz the company couldn't "justify the increase"

— Esteemed Disk Jockey (@Mdu_da_Prince) March 7, 2018

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : Sharing payslips with prospective employers works in your favour, says HR expert