Requested Salary

[Anonymous]

What is the appropriate thing to say when someone asks an expected salary when a salary is posted with the job posting? I kind of applied to this job as a lark because the salary is significantly higher than the range I'm kind of looking for (about 50%) but they contacted me back asking for my expected salary range. I haven't even had an interview or anything, this is literally the first contact I've gotten from them, which also seems a little early to be asking about this. My inclination is to go under what they've posted, but I don't want to unnecessarily screw myself out of money (something I suspect I did with my current job). Anyone have an idea what would be a reasonable thing to say between the amount they're posting and the amount I'm looking for?

 

[Sparhawk]

Off the cuff, I'd say 10 to 15 % low-end posted. Others may have much more experience with this, but since it's way above what you're looking for, and you know your budgeting best, that's what I'd say.

 

[Thread Necromancer]

I was once told by an hr professional to remember that the first one to actually mention a number looses. If they posted a salary you might consider staying something along the lines of "job was advertised at Xx and with my qualifications being ZZ I needed to be able to make within that range" or that you expect/need to earn comparable to the other professionals in your field without putting a hard number on it.

Of course I will admit the only time I have attempted to negotiate in this way they went with someone else who was easy under qualified and I didn't get the job but I was already working for them and they just had me teach him the job. I still made more money though because they were already paying me more than they had offered the promotion at.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[SpecialKO]

I agree with Sparhawk.

With the caveat that what industry and what level you're looking at makes a difference, as a rule I would say never go under their suggested range, because the chances are they are low-balling at least a little. If you undercut it, they might think that you either don't see yourself as particularly valuable (which most companies think of as a negative), are willing to settle for less (you'll have to work harder to get noticed), or don't have a good understanding of the value or necessary qualifications of the job (the worst of all).

It is definitely a bit weird that they're asking you that up front, so my guess is that they've received more qualified resumes than they anticipated and are going to chuck the ones who ask for too much and those who ask for too little. If they're really looking for people who will undercut their listed salary, you probably don't want to work there anyways from an atmosphere and management support perspective.

EDIT: Oh, and see if they'll accept some variant of, "the listed salary is definitely in my range, but I would like to know more about the job and benefits first." That way, you can avoid giving a number for longer.

 

[PatrThom]

If I knew how to properly negotiate for salary...I'd have a higher salary.

--Patrick

 

[Jay]

Salary requirements are rarely an instant deal breaker if they're interested in you as a candidate. For example, if the range for the position is 50k, and you say you want 60k they'll most likely tell you if that's out of their range and allow you to continue negotiating. In my experience it's only a red-flag if you asked far more than what they'd offer the most experienced candidate.

Ask for what you want but take things like benefits, bonuses and time off into account. You can provide the target you want (let's say 55k) along the lines of "I'm currently making 40k here but growth is limited and I'm currently targeting 55k for my next position, based on my experience and market value. If this is outside of the range for the position I'm open to negotiating a fair value taking into account the benefits package offered."

Any recruiter knows it is their role to get the best people at the least amount of cost to the company.... and they know that your role is to get the most you can.

No one is unaware of this dynamic and you don't need to feel like you need to pretend it's not there. A good candidate should be confident in his/her value and if you're asking for what you feel like is a lot just be prepared to talk about why you're worth it.

Long story short.... ask for what you think you're worth, know your market value, be prepared to defend your worth, be open to negotiating other perks (time off, benefits) in lieu of salary.

Bonne chance.

 

[Dave]

How much can you afford to NOT get the job? I once was happy in my job and I got a call out of the blue. They asked me what I wanted and I said, "Well, I'm happy here and it would take X dollars (with X being a number too damned high) to change." And they said, "Hmmm. Okay."

Worst mistake of my life because the job was crap, but I threw out a high dollar amount because I could afford to not get it and they matched it.

 

[Tinwhistler]

Ask for what you want but take things like benefits, bonuses and time off into account. You can provide the target you want (let's say 55k) along the lines of "I'm currently making 40k here but growth is limited and I'm currently targeting 55k for my next position, based on my experience and market value. If this is outside of the range for the position I'm open to negotiating a fair value taking into account the benefits package offered."

I never tell them my current salary if I'm trying to make a big jump. If I were trying to go from say, 50K to 55K, I don't mind mentioning my salary, because they know that they'll have to go above it to get me to make a move. But jumping from 75K to 90K, I wouldn't mention it all. Most employers will think"well, if you're making 75K now, I'm sure as hell not giving you a 15K raise, because I can probably get you for 80 instead."

On the other hand, I agree with some other stuff you said. I've taken less than the upper asking range in trade for flex time, for instance.

I almost never look for a job when I'm desperate for one. That makes it easy to ask for more than I expect, negotiate a few perks, and turn down anyone who won't come close.

 

[Jay]

If they ask you for your salary you have 3 options :

1. Withhold the information - Which in turn may cause some of them to not want to deal with you (this happened to me!). Some HR people are some real fickle shits. They know what they can give you but you still have to play with their rules. Remember that a lot of HR positions/headhunters are low education with lots of panhandlers in between.

2. Tell it as it is - Which in turn may cause them to short-change you as you mentioned. However, if this happens prior to the interview, just go along with it and have the client meet you and show them what you're all about. If they're still interested post-interview.... then you can negotiate! "I'm very excited to work for X, however, after some thought, I will be more comfortable if I'm making Y". Then state your reasons. If you already have a job, HR people HATE you. At this point, you're not dealing with HR, you're dealing with them indirectly through your future boss. They got a budget and will be more flexible.

This is how I got my current job. We offer X. I'm looking for Y with 15K difference. But I'll meet the manager, it actually was a job in Laval which in turn makes it a 10 min commute instead of possibly 1+ hour. Met my boss, she loved me. Hired at the salary I wanted. Now I make more. I could make more elsewhere but let's be honest, 10 min commutes are the bomb.

3. Lie - Which in turn may cause big issues if they find out you're lying or are asking for too much money. If you exceed their budget with that 1 quote, you're OUT.



I personally prefer to say it as it is.

"This is how much I'm doing, this is what I'm looking for because I bring X and Y to the table."
I'm currently happy at a job I'm at, I'm not leaving for less than a 20%+ increase plus better benefits.
Sometimes you have to play ball but at the same time ensure you keep your balls which you negotiate.
If they're talking to you and reaching out to you, you're already a candidate.
They now want the best one they can get for the budget they have to work with.