Talking Salary

Little Sunshine

Have an interview for a job (senior position) next week in Dublin - salary not stated but I know I will be asked what my salary expectations are. Previously I would always say that it was negotiable and try to get the interviewer to state a figure. The problem is that when they ask what I was paid in my previous jobs (I worked in the public sector where the salary was set so it was never negotiable) and I tell them I don't get a response and I'm left wondering if its way off the mark. How do I get around this. Surely they have a figure in their head that they are willing to pay.

edellc

A friend of mine always told me to add 5k onto what I was on when asked in an interview what I was getting and that way you have room to negotiate and always end up on more than your previous job, and its always worked for me.

But I do agree its wrong of them to ask as they have already set their budget as to how much the can pay you and putting a future employee on the spot like that is not nice, they are either going to pay you what they have in their budget or not, but most time if you are under what they are offering then when they tell you they expect you to act overwhelmed and totally appreciative, with I find wrong. Its just embarrassing.

golden lane

employers are reluctant to take somebody on, when their expectations are more than the can pay.......it means you will leave as soon as a better paid job is available.....

shankespony

Ask them what salary they are looking to offer for the position. None of their business what you are earning.

Bandana boy

edellc wrote: »

A friend of mine always told me to add 5k onto what I was on when asked in an interview what I was getting and that way you have room to negotiate and always end up on more than your previous job, and its always worked for me.

But I do agree its wrong of them to ask as they have already set their budget as to how much the can pay you and putting a future employee on the spot like that is not nice, they are either going to pay you what they have in their budget or not, but most time if you are under what they are offering then when they tell you they expect you to act overwhelmed and totally appreciative, with I find wrong. Its just embarrassing.

Your a commodity they are trying to purchase of course they want to get this at the best price.
If you went to a shop and they asked you to state what you would be willing to pay as first step in agreeing a price you would be very unimpressed.

I am not sure what your background is but in most mid to senior positions in the private sector while there is a budget or a range your actual salary will be down to negotiation.Most prvate sector companies at these levels will have employees doing similar jobs on a wide range of salaries.


With Regard to the OP
What you say is all down to how strong you feel your position and how desperate you are for the job.
Of course a prerequisite is having done your research on,
The market for your type of roles and the range of salary's paid.
The importance of this role in the company
The Company your joining position in this market
How long they have been trying to secure this position
How far ahead of the next best candidate you feel you will be.

The crux of the situation is that this is a very difficult area to judge and a skill that most employees never acquire.

If you cant figures those factors out I would go with stating you are on 5K more than you are on and ask for 10K on top of that.You can give reasons of pay freeze in current job etc meaning that your current salary is not a true reflection on what you are worth.