salary requirements question

dangtran09

when a potential employer asked over the phone what your compensation requirements/expectations, how do you answer this? i asked him for a range, he wouldn't tell me.

how do i approach this issue? is there a strategy? do i throw a low ballpark? a high figure? if i asked too high, would they skip me?

any advice is always appreciated.

Hypntick

dangtran09 wrote: »

when a potential employer asked over the phone what your compensation requirements/expectations, how do you answer this? i asked him for a range, he wouldn't tell me.

how do i approach this issue? is there a strategy? do i throw a low ballpark? a high figure? if i asked too high, would they skip me?

any advice is always appreciated.

Well, what is the least amount that you'll work for? That's your starting point. Now, once you've got that figure, do a little research to see what comparible positions pay for your background (provided you can find that info). With that, take your figure and the figure you've arrived at with your research and see what you've got. I would pad your figure just a bit, couldn't hurt.

RobertKaucher

I agree with Hypnatick about knowing the least amount you will work for. Mak sure you visit Salary.com and get an idea of what people in your area are making who do similar jobs. If you have no experience expect to be in the lower range. Once you get around 2 years you can expect to be closer to the middle of that range. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that a specific cert means you should be making 100K per year. Certification is not the primary predictor of salary.

SteveLord

RobertKaucher wrote: »

I agree with Hypnatick about knowing the least amount you will work for. Mak sure you visit Salary.com and get an idea of what people in your area are making who do similar jobs. If you have no experience expect to be in the lower range. Once you get around 2 years you can expect to be closer to the middle of that range. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that a specific cert means you should be making 100K per year. Certification is not the primary predictor of salary.

And neither is a fancy job title. But for some reason, people keep betting on those and those alone around here. What they should be doing, is researching salaries of similar positions, primarily based on responsibilities in their area on their own. Not rely on the same kinds of online databases that say A+ holders can walk into $40k jobs and degree holders = instant $25k salary bump.

If your potential employer asked you why you gave the salary expectation that you did, would you honestly say salary.com? If so, you might as well purchase the personal report and bring that to an interview. I'd like to hear if an employer bought into that.

Research and cover your ass. You never know when it might be exposed.

Repo Man

I always go for 10/15% more than I'm willing to take. If they ask why you are looking for that much just say you have been talking with recruiters in the area about possible positions and that has been the salary range.

cyberguypr

SteveLord wrote: »

What they should be doing, is researching salaries of similar positions, primarily based on responsibilities in their area on their own. Not rely on the same kinds of online databases that say A+ holders can walk into $40k jobs and degree holders = instant $25k salary bump.

The salary databases and the surveys are useless. Go with SteveLord's advice.

For example, last time I gave a range they low-balled me under the range I gave. What saved me was that I provided them a copy of my analysis of similar positions open in the region and they quickly reconsidered their ridiculous offer. They even threw in a performance bonus that I wasn't counting on. Do your homework. It will definitely pay off.

CompuTron99

I just read a posting that stated:

"Resumes w/out salary reqs will not be considered."

Hypntick

CompuTron99 wrote: »

I just read a posting that stated:

"Resumes w/out salary reqs will not be considered."

That's goofy, I wouldn't even consider putting my salary expectations in my resume. Why would you want to low-ball yourself or just immediately put yourself out of the running by putting something way to high.