How to answer the 'salary expectation' question?

livEwirE

Hi all,

I have been sent an email by a potential employer asking me for my salary expectations for a job, I'm not too sure what approach I should take.

Should I aim high or low, will they be put off if I ask for too much? Will I shoot myself in the foot if I ask for too little? It's a big scandinavian company so their budget shouldn't be a problem! The job is for a deskside support engineer.

Any advice appreciated.

~livEwirE~

BuffyBot

Depending on the job, how big a progression it is from your previous salary etc I'd work out a percentage. It's its for the same role, ask for 10-15% more, if its for a higher level role than you are currently on, you'll have to increase that in line with the level of the new role.

Try to plan out a reasonable figure - after all, they will normally be willing to offer more than your currently on to encourage you to join the company.

DapperGent

The best thing to do in such a situation is try to source some salary surveys for you prospective position there should be plenty of info out there for something like a support position. Run some searches for salary surveys for the job or similar ones for whatever geograhical location you'll be based for that position most will have salarys graded on experience ie average salaries for various number of years they've done the job.

That'll give you a ballpark and you might as well shoot a little higher like for the average salary for the next experience step up from you, particularily if they insist on good qualifications.

the_syco

Originally posted by livEwirE
The job is for a deskside support engineer.

[off topic]
Are they still hiring?
[/off topic]

I usually leave those spaces blank. DapperGent's idea seems the best, tho. Also, check what minimum pays is over there. There's shooting yourself in the foot, and there's there looking the wrong way into the gun barrel.

boo-boo

don't just put a bare figure on it, theres a wider context for each job - commute, training, propects for promotion etc , so put a wide field eg 25-32 k & if quizzed put the ball back in their court to find out the other details .

leeroybrown

I agree with the above poster. It's about more than just money.

At my last job interview I wasn't asked anything abut salary expectations but I was asked for specific reasons why I though company X would be good to work for. I listed non pay related aspects of work on my list.

kenny

Try this lot

http://www.haysworks.co.uk

Theres a load of salary surveys, broken down by geographical area.

The link is on the right hand side of their main page.

The info is fairly current AFAIK.

usualsuspect

I agree with some of the others - try to avoid naming a salary too soon. The only thing they are going to do with it at this stage is use it against you. They probably have a figure in mind that they want to pay for the position, and they want to eliminate some applicants before they move through to the interview stage. So whatever you say, you run the risk of being too high or too low. Too high and they will say they can't afford you, too low and they will say they can get someone better (ie who demands a higher salary) and still be within their budget.

It's a catch-22 because maybe they will eliminate you anyway if you don't mention a figure!

You could say something like you are more interested in the total package, long-term opportunities blah blah blah and avoid naming a figure. There is a careers advice book called 'What Color is Your Parachute' which has a very good section on salary negotiations....basically you want to get them to name the figure first if at all possible. Or just leave it blank.

Good luck!