“What kind of salary are you looking for?”
Keep these points in mind so you are prepared to answer the dreaded salary question:
1. Determine how much money you need. If you haven’t made this determination, you may accept a position with a salary that would not cover your basic needs: food, clothing, rent, transportation, etc. There are spreadsheets on the web that can help you make this calculation.
2. Find out what you're worth. If you don’t know the salary that your skills and experience would command by employers, you run the risk of accepting a lower salary or, conversely, pricing yourself out of contention. Asking colleagues, recruiters and consulting websites like salary.com can help you determine your worth in the marketplace.
3. Be upfront when asked for your salary requirements. Employers may ask this question early on because they don’t want to waste their time if your expectations do not meet what they want to pay. If you have done your homework, you should be able to give a salary range based on your research.
4. Think beyond base salary. Employers are often willing to negotiate other aspects of compensation such as additional vacation, signing bonus or early performance review if they are not able to meet your base salary expectations.
With over 25 years of HR experience under her belt, Judy Bottkol knows a thing or two about salary negotiation. To schedule an appointment with Judy contact jbottkol@jvs-boston.org or call 617-399-3162.
All the employers who've interviewed me have already had a base salary (or salary range) in mind, so I've never been asked this question. Does it only get asked in specific industries? If so, which ones?
ReplyDeleteHi Anya,
ReplyDeleteGreat question. While it is hard to generalize, there are some employers, such as universities and the federal government, who have clearly stated salary grades and guidelines. Other organizations (especially bigger companies) tend to have a bit more wiggle room. Some smaller and/or more cash strapped employers may only be able to offer prospective employers a specific salary that is non-negotiable.
Heh--guess I've always been working for cash-strapped employers!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great subject. I was interviewed for a job at a major Boston Hospital. They were putting a job offer together when they asked me what i was making at my last job and what i was expecting from them. I gave them the salary that i was making from my previous job along with some temporary jobs that paid an hourly rate. I received an e-mail from the employer and said that he had picked another employee. I was furious because they tied this offer up for 6 weeks. What did i do wrong regarding salary?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to say if the employer's decision to hire another candidate had to do with salary or some other consideration. A lot of factors go into hiring and salary is just one piece of the puzzle.