Salary expectation question

JacenSolo

Sorry if this has been asked before.

How do people answer this question? I hate it! Either you low ball it and thats what they opt to pay you or you go high and you price yourself out of the job. It should be mandatory to list the salary if even a salary range. Saying a "competitive" salary is a cop out.

mloc123

"Salary is not big driver in applying for this position, I want a new challenge and somewhere to grow... blah blah blah"

Don't answer the question

crisco10

mloc123 wrote: »

"Salary is not big driver in applying for this position, I want a new challenge and somewhere to grow... blah blah blah"

Don't answer the question

I see that as a low-ball answer. But I do agree with the vague answer approach.

I would go down the "depends on the entire package" route , e.g. pension, PHI, car allowance...

Last time I flipped it on them when they asked by saying assuming the package was comparable, what is the salary you have in mind for the role?

nullObjects

Good advice above. I think the problem with this is they are trying to get the number as low as possible and you don't know the scale they are able to pay between.

You could try getting more info on glassdoor to see what people in similar roles are paid (just make sure you filter out any salaries from other regions if they are included)

Best of luck with it

mloc123

I guess the flip side is, if you tell them what you want... and that rules you out as too expensive, then the job is too junior or isn't for you.
Would you take a pay cut to move job? I wouldn't.. so why waste time interviewing only to be offered less than you are paid now.

Gael23

My last move was a sideward one so wasn’t expecting much of a rise.

I answered this by stating my current salary and that given the role on offer was Dublin based I would be looking for a slight increase to cover extra living costs. I got €6k more than I would have settled for.

mistress_gi

I always give them a number.
I am not wasting my time with a position if it doesn't fit my salary expectations l

who what when

JacenSolo wrote: »

It should be mandatory to list the salary if even a salary range. Saying a "competitive" salary is a cop out.

Firstly I completely agree that salary range should be listed on a job advertisement. It is literally the most important thing.

I once worked in a place that was 'grand' but I had no intention staying there long term. So I started applying for any jobs that came up in my area.
Soon enough I got an interview with a place that seemed fairly decent.

Now as I say I wasn't in a mad hurry to move so wasn't bothered if I got the job or not. So the interview went well and when the question of salary came up I straight out gave a figure that was 15% more than I was on currently.
They seemed a little surprised but didn't say yes or no. A few days later I was offered the job.

Now as it turns out, that office was easily the single worst place I have ever worked and I left before the year was out but that's a whole other story.

krissovo

JacenSolo wrote: »

It should be mandatory to list the salary if even a salary range. Saying a "competitive" salary is a cop out.

These ranges are fairly easily identified using the likes of glassdoor, certainly for the larger companies or an idea what's being paid in the industry. It should give you an idea of what to ask for, aim high and tell them you are willing to negotiate. No one will send a good candidate packing for asking too much.

The other side of the coin is that if you are a good candidate companies may pay above the scale and employ you at a level higher than advertised role.

Thoie

"I would expect a package in the region of €Highball, but experience/candy floss/growth/work life balance/colour of carpet is important to me so I'm willing to negotiate if the position is right."

Tot up your highest salary expectation, health care, pension contributions, any other benefits you can think of, and that's your "package" expectation.

I took a slightly lower salary in a previous job in return for a few extra days holidays per year.

s3ndnudes

I think recruiters refer to the salary negotiation as "doing the dance"- which is exactly what it is! I have a couple of strategies/approaches I try and take to attempt to maximize what you can get:

1. Whoever says the salary figure first, loses. If asked directly in an interview "what are your salary expectations", I would respond something along the lines of "my expectations are somewhat flexible. I am looking for a salary that's commensurate with my experience and I trust XY limited, being a <<large multinational>> would have a salary in this range. I am keen to get the right role and look at the broader package- time off, flexibility, role type opportunities etc. I'm sure if I am successful in the interview process we will be able to reach an agreement". My goal here is not to get myself excluded from the process- let them know your keen, that your confident of reaching an arrangement but don't give up all your cards.

2. If the above fails and after maneuvering around for a while they are persisting on pressing you for an exact number I will answer with a figure. But I will have first researched what I think the market price is roughly for the role. If the market average for a similar role is 55k and I would only except the job if it was minimum 50-55k, I'll give them a figure slightly higher- say maybe "I'm looking for about 60k". 5-10k isn't going to scare off a multinational, or even a smaller company i'd imagine. I always go a bit higher than i'm expecting. If they have a range in there mind of 55-65k that they're willing to pay, and you say you're looking for "55k"- well then happy days for them- no need to give you any more than what you're looking for.

3. In the negotiation process I always wanted to show interest, but never be over keen. While the market is not what it was a few months ago, if asked are you looking at other opportunities, I would typically answer "yes that i'm having a look at what is out there". If you're in the position i'd always uses phrases like "If I were to leave my current position"- let them know they don't have you necessarily, that you need to be convinced of the position.

The above won't hold true for all positions and I suppose it depends on your current situation- do you have a job, how bad do you want it, how specialized are the skills, how many other similarly skilled people are going for the job. I suppose you have to try gauge how much (or not) they need you, how much you want the role yourself and price accordingly!

Just my two cents for what it's worth!

contrary_devil

I have questions on the subject of salary expectation and I hope the OP doesn't mind me jumping on his thread and I hope I'm not breaking any rules?
There are two jobs currently advertised which I would be interested in applying for and on the application form both have the "What is your annual salary expectation?" question.

Q1 Is it legal/good practice to ask this on an application form and if so would the successful applicant be bound by their answer in not seeking a higher salary?
Q2 Any tips on how to answer this question on the form especially as there are a number of salary scales to choose from and not just a blank space to fill in your answer?

Kia_Kaha

I work in recruitment for a multinational IT company. I am lucky in that my company has a policy of listing the salary range in our job descriptions and it honestly saves so much time, but my advice to anyone would be to know your worth salary wise and think of a range of maybe 5,000 that you would realistically be happy with.

You can say something along the lines ''I'd be seeking around €45-50k but there is flexibility on this, would you be willing to tell me what salary range you are offering for this position?". There is no point wasting your time interviewing for a job if the salary isn't sufficient for your lifestyle, but also be realistic. Many recruitment agencies publish 'salary surveys' so do a bit of searching online to find what the average salary is in your industry for someone with however many years of experience you have etc.

If anyone has any specific questions on salary negotiations that and please feel free to PM me.

Pauliedragon

The one thing thing that annoys me about that question is when an ad quotes a salary and at the interview they ask what you expect as a wage. I expect what you advertised not a lower wage than what you put up online.

Foweva Awone

I'm very direct, I state what I believe I deserve. No point faffing about. Any time I've done this, I have received an offer of either the number I stated or even slightly higher.

screamer

Tell them what you expect and make sure it’s enough. When your moving jobs you hold the cards you have to negotiate well to get a decent pay packet because in a lot of companies you’ll get a minuscule annual pay rise after that. No point cheating yourself on a low wage, you’ll feel hard done by and hate your job

Soulsun

I tend to go for:

My salary expectations would be benchmarked in relation to my qualifications and experience to date. My current salary is X and I would consider an offer within this range.

whoopsadaisy

I work in recruitment - maybe can answer some points:

Why salary brackets aren't mentioned in advertisements - Because current employees may see a bracket and get riled up because they aren't being paid same, or try to demand more money because they've spotted the range stated online. When I worked in agency I had a falling out with a new client (reasonably large company) about this - I had an anonymous ad up and a large proportion of applicants were already working at the company I was recruiting for. The role was fairly similar to other roles I typically worked on, so I had a chat with a couple of these candidates anyway, said look this one won't be for you but let's keep in touch etc. The manager came back to me to say she had demands from two separate members of staff for 10k increases on their salary, or else they were walking, based on the knowledge that the company were willing to pay 10k more for external candidates. I lost the client and learned my lesson moving forward.

Agree or disagree with that rationale, tbh I can understand both sides.

Why the salary question is asked on advertisements- To save wasting everyone's time. If a company has a budget of 40-45k for a position and a candidate who may be perfect for the job is currently earning 60k or wouldn't move for less than that amount, then there is literally no point in us talking.

On another note, candidates shouldn't enter into these types of conversations without even a ballpark figure in mind, or if they are unwilling to talk money. Again, its just in the interest of not wasting everyone's time. Think about what you would like in an ideal world, and what you would reasonably accept if all other factors were perfect, and that's your salary range. Unless you are horribly underpaid, don't be greedy and over inflate just for the sake of it - chances are it will be noticed

JasonStatham

Just give em a wide (but reasonable) range (where you've done your research), and tell them what you're currently earning. I think that gives a good enough yardstick for some HR type to judge.

These days with glassdoor and pay scale, you can get to grips with what a company can afford - enough to help one avoid the cheap b*st*rds (no offence to such companies, the cost of living in cities just keeps going up and up, and one has to budget)

Man with broke phone

Last job I just told them that I had to leave the office with x amount after tax each week. Its none of my business what allowance or bonuses make that happen. Theres great accountants out there these days.

Iodine1

whoopsadaisy wrote: »

I work in recruitment - maybe can answer some points:

Why salary brackets aren't mentioned in advertisements - Because current employees may see a bracket and get riled up because they aren't being paid same, or try to demand more money because they've spotted the range stated online. When I worked in agency I had a falling out with a new client (reasonably large company) about this - I had an anonymous ad up and a large proportion of applicants were already working at the company I was recruiting for. The role was fairly similar to other roles I typically worked on, so I had a chat with a couple of these candidates anyway, said look this one won't be for you but let's keep in touch etc. The manager came back to me to say she had demands from two separate members of staff for 10k increases on their salary, or else they were walking, based on the knowledge that the company were willing to pay 10k more for external candidates. I lost the client and learned my lesson moving forward.

Agree or disagree with that rationale, tbh I can understand both sides.

This I think just proves that loyalty in a company is neither appreciated or paid for! Why should not current employees expect to be paid as much as new recruits? I know of at least 2 cases where better people walked out of companies within 6 months of new arrivals coming in on better terms. And the newboys turned out to be not as great as they promised. And HR people seem to think this is fine!

Jambonjunior

Man with broke phone wrote: »

Last job I just told them that I had to leave the office with x amount after tax each week. Its none of my business what allowance or bonuses make that happen. Theres great accountants out there these days.

Don't think there's much for PAYE workers no matter how great your accountant is.

OMM 0000

I contact recruiters to get them to help me find a job. We chat, go through my experience, and then I ask what is the current market rate for this role and what should I be looking for based on my experience and skills. Then I know what the salary should be.

hots

mloc123 wrote: »

"Salary is not big driver in applying for this position, I want a new challenge and somewhere to grow... blah blah blah"

Don't answer the question

Every time this is what I give. If pressed for a specific number (rare enough) I'll give a high one and follow it up with "but this move isn't financially motivated so I'd be fairly flexible on that number and it's structure".

My thinking being that I'd always want to get an offer and then negotiate it upwards if needs be.

Misguided1

I would tend to respond by saying the value of my current package is xxxxx. I'd be hoping for a similar/better benefits but an increase of 15/20% on the base salary. Salary isn't my main driver in applying for the role but I'm aware of the market value for the role and my level of experience.

Do your homework and know what the market pays for the role. That should be your goal rather than guessing what it too high/low ball

Man with broke phone

Jambonjunior wrote: »

Don't think there's much for PAYE workers no matter how great your accountant is.

Depends on the industry and if you are willing to accept the extra money on a friday in cash in the chiefs van.

But meal allowance, tool allowance all sorts.

Turtwig

whoopsadaisy wrote: »

I work in recruitment - maybe can answer some points:

Why salary brackets aren't mentioned in advertisements - Because current employees may see a bracket and get riled up because they aren't being paid same, or try to demand more money because they've spotted the range stated online. When I worked in agency I had a falling out with a new client (reasonably large company) about this - I had an anonymous ad up and a large proportion of applicants were already working at the company I was recruiting for. The role was fairly similar to other roles I typically worked on, so I had a chat with a couple of these candidates anyway, said look this one won't be for you but let's keep in touch etc. The manager came back to me to say she had demands from two separate members of staff for 10k increases on their salary, or else they were walking, based on the knowledge that the company were willing to pay 10k more for external candidates. I lost the client and learned my lesson moving forward.

If that is reflective of why companies don't post salary offerings then were this not deep depressions times I'd take this as a signal to avoid even considering any such ads. The emploer's fear of their employees getting pissed they're paid below market rate being the justification for withholding salary details is pretty much a giant bright red glowing flag.

Jim Root

crisco10 wrote: »

I see that as a low-ball answer. But I do agree with the vague answer approach.

I would go down the "depends on the entire package" route , e.g. pension, PHI, car allowance...

Last time I flipped it on them when they asked by saying assuming the package was comparable, what is the salary you have in mind for the role?

this is a very good way to handle the question.

Kia_Kaha

Kia_Kaha wrote: »

Many recruitment agencies publish 'salary surveys' so do a bit of searching online to find what the average salary is in your industry for someone with however many years of experience you have etc.

How accurate are the salary surveys though? I was always under the impression they massively inflate the salaries compared to the reality.