Asking for salary range before interview?

pham0329

I updated my resume on Dice/CareerBuilder last week, and since then, I've been getting calls for phone interviews/interviews. I really don't have the time to go to all these interviews as I'm working full-time so I was wondering, is it bad to ask for the salary range before the interview?

networker050184

I don't think its bad. Salary range is usually one of the first things I discuss. No point in going forward if you aren't in the same ballpark.

shodown

Get it out the way. I posted a few weeks ago and they didn't want to talk about salary cause hey had a few positions opened. I qualified for the Sr slot and they only offered 2K more than what I"m making now. After several interviews it has turned out to be a waste of time. Ask with class, but don't avoid at all.

blargoe

I'm interested in hearing how more of you have handled this in the past, also.

pham0329

I was asked to come in for an interview next week, and I asked for the salary range like this

I hope you don't mind, but I was hoping to touch base on the salary range. I don't want to waste your time if we're not in the same ballpark.

The lady on the other end was very receptive of the question and didn't seem like she cared at all.

cyberguypr

The textbook answer says not to talk salary until you are offered the position. Heck no! It is 2011. Compensation matters are not a taboo anymore, especially among highly skilled geeks. Face to face can definitely be a time waster for everyone involved.

Back in March I started actively looking for a new gig. I had a clear concept of what I wanted in regards to duties, environment, salary etc. In addition I didn't want my then employer to know I was looking. That meant as few face to face as possible to avoid suspicion. I submitted several resumes and got 4 callbacks. Out of those 4, 2 of them basically gave me everything they had to offer upfront without asking, including salary range and benefits package. I respect companies that do that (I ended up accepting an offer from one of these two.) In a perfect world everyone would do this. Another one gave me a low range that wasn't negotiable so I politely informed them I would pass as it wasn't what I was looking for. The last one flat out refused to talk salary which triggered my "thank you for your time" closing routine.

In reality, I was grossly underpaid so when they asked "what are you currently making" I responded with where I wanted to be salary wise. How much I was making was none of their business. This worked for me because I was in no immediate need to switch jobs. If I found myself without a job I am not sure if I would've necessarily applied the same tactics. Also, it is worth noting that I applied to positions that I considered a great fit based on experience and skill requirements. YMMV.

pham0329

I'm in the same boat. I'm fine with where I'm at. They pay is good, the job itself is great so I'm not really looking to make a switch. If I get a job description that I'm interested in, then I'll pursue it, but as of right now, I'm just taking my time to find that perfect job.

Devilry

I always ask on the initial call, I usually say something along the lines of "I wanted to make sure I don't waste your time, but I don't think the salary range was listed on the job posting" ... some will tell you upfront, some won't, and some will give you a ridiculous range like 20-80k.. those are the main ones to run from!

Devilsbane

It really depends where you are sitting in your career. If you are young and looking to break into the field, it could be seen as a turn off to the employer, which is bad for you because you really just need something.

However if you currently have a job, and are good at what you do, why not? The job I just got was the first time in my life that I've walked into an interview because I wanted the job and not because I needed it. Its a nice feeling, and I was definitely a little more ballsy than I was for say the interview when I was just trying to get ANY job in IT. Like networker said, once your "in" you can choose to be more selective with what you do and where you go.

cvuong1984

For me, most calls i get they usually end the first call with, what's your expected salary.
And I usually tell them how much I make now, and would like say 5-10k more depending on the responsibility of the new gig.

Yams

They usually ask me before I get a chance to ask them

QHalo

Yams wrote: »

They usually ask me before I get a chance to ask them

And when they do, I ask them what their range is before showing my hand.

Everyone

I usually have a pretty good idea of what the salary range should be BEFORE I even talk to anyone. I find the closest match to the title and responsibilities of the position, figure out what industry the company is in, and look at what location the job is at, then plug it into salary.com and payscale.com. I also see if there is any data available on glassdoor.com for the company.

By combining info from these different sources, you should be able to come up with a range that is pretty close to their actual range, before you ever talk to them.

This isn't always 100% accurate. I have run into situations where the job title and responsibilities listed in the job description did NOT match what they were actually looking for. I've interviewed expecting the salary range to be in one area, then had to adjust my calculations based on new info received during the interview. Usually lowering the range I thought the job should pay.

ColbyG

Salary is the first thing I ask about if I'm not told right away.

MiikeB

My specialty is working with military IT infrastructures and most of the job offers and calls I get tend to be from recruiting companies, not from actual employers. I would say I get 2-3 calls a week from these companies so I recognize their names. When they call and introduce themselves and say the company name my first response is generally "Whats the salary range? Not interested if it isn't at least X." They actually tend to appreciate this because my X is a fairly high number (6 figures) and this disqualifies me right off the bat. These guys call 10+ people a day I am sure, so they definitely appreciate saving the time. And it saves me from talking about my skills etc for 15 minutes before finding out they aren't paying enough for me.

Now if a company I really wanted to work for called me I wouldn't take this approach, but again recruiters care less about the formality of the interview process and more about qualifying people for positions.

networker050184

blargoe wrote: »

I'm interested in hearing how more of you have handled this in the past, also.

I just ask what the salary range is or give them my range. I don't understand why people want to beat around the bush and "not show their hand". You know what you want to make. Just ask for it.

Devilry

networker050184 wrote: »

You know what you want to make. Just ask for it.

Exactly!

Mishra

It depends on the job being offered or that I'm applying for.

For a job that sounds so-so, I normally ask salary asap. For a job that sounds perfectly fit for my needs, I normally try to sell them before asking for salary. I know that the "fit" jobs should pay well, or they will increase the salary range.

It also depends on how the conversation started. Sometimes, you just can't fit it in.

"Hello Mr., we found your resume and would like to phone interview you. What time?"
"3pm"
"Okay, be here and bring this, see you there"

It isn't a good time to be throwing in

"WAIT, how much money are you offering?"

pham0329

Just thought I bump this, and update everyone that I was officially offered a security admin (in a team of 5) position today. While security is probably not what I want to specialize in, I'm open minded and I think this is a great opportunity for me to pickup experience in ASA/Firewalls, TMG, and a host of other security related application/technologies!

Essendon

Congrats!! I'm sure it'll be great experience. Is it going to be an admin type position or more on the design side of things, just curious since you dont want to end up doing security.

pham0329

It'll be more admin work. Monitoring firewalls, implementing ACL/publishing rules on TMG, restricting access to certain sites, etc.

Personally, I don't see how configuring ACL/TMG can be a full-time job, let alone require 5 people to do it, but it does!

I was having a hard time deciding between CCNA Voice and CCNA Security, but I guess its a no brainer now!