Cover letter and salary requirement questions

fredmoogie

1) do you normally send a cover letter even if they didn't ask for one?

2) how do u reply when they ask for salary requirements? do u give them a range? a specific #?

thank you.

shagism

This is just based on my experience:

1) Yes, cover letters show professionalism and allow you to describe why you are good for that particular job. This allows you to highlight particular portions of your resume and perhaps even charm the reader a bit, assuming you wrote it well.

2) If it is a person asking me I take 2 different paths: I either try to wriggle my way out of the question until I find out how much they anticipate paying for the position OR if that isn't working then I give them a range higher than I actually want to get paid. For instance, if I want $55k I will say I am looking for $60k, this gives some negotiating room for yourself and the employer.

If I am asked to put the amount on an application then I put 10% higher than I actually think I can get. If you give a range they will ALWAYS take the lower end of your range as your answer and then try to undercut you a bit.

On a separate note, I have found that confidence is important. I know it is tough out there, but you have to understand that in a lot of cases the employer NEEDS to hire someone and that you may have more leverage than you think. Obviously you should not be an ass, nor over confident, but realize that you are a product they are buying and you have a right to fight for what you are worth.

Good luck on all your interviews and remember that the person interviewing you is a human just as you are, truthfulness and candidness can go a long way even if what you have to say is not entirely pleasant.

networker050184

1) I don't use a cover letter. If I'm sending my resume via email (which is 99% of the time) I'll write a few lines in the body of the email.

2) I reply with what my salary range. Usually a "no less than" figure, which is the amount I want to make, that can be the starting point of negotiation.

N2IT

I always use cover letters. It's an easy way to make yourself stand out.

I use the 10% mark up tactic myself. If there is a cap on the position they will let you know. I've never had it keep me from getting the position.

fredmoogie

thank you for your response guys. and to follow-up with another question.

recently i've been reaching out to recruiters and hr personnel for potential opportunities. nowadays, many of them are doing phone screen first to see if you're a good candidate before bringing you in for in-person interview. some positions i've applied to do not list either a salary/hourly rate or range.

and despite me asking them directly the salary/hourly rate/range. some have disclosed this information, some have said depends on your experience, and some have flat out said they won't discuss salary until after the interview. the first 2 i can understand. it's the last one i do not. i think this is a bad practice in the HR field.

my argument is let say you do the phone screen, set up an interview apt, take time out to come in for face interview, and it turns out the salary is less than what you expect? haven't you wasted their time and yours?

your thoughts on this is much appreciated.

Everyone

networker050184 wrote: »

1) I don't use a cover letter. If I'm sending my resume via email (which is 99% of the time) I'll write a few lines in the body of the email.

IMHO, writing a few lines in the body of the e-mail counts as a cover letter. This is the approach I always take. I've never sent a cover letter as an additional word document. I use the e-mail as the cover letter, and attach the resume word document to the e-mail.

As far as salary requirement goes, I research what the salary should be based on location, industry the company is in, size of the company, and what education and experience level the company says is desired in the job description. I use salary.com for this, then I'll use the top of the range it returns. If it is an online application, and the form allows you to leave that field blank, I'll often do that, and only put a number in if it won't let you submit without it.

If it is a recruiter (even an internal one), sometimes avoiding the salary requirement question will get them to disclose the range to you. I've managed to do that quite a few times, and I'll simply say "That range is acceptable" without giving them a figure. Only if it is actually acceptable that is, if I don't like the range, I'll tell them I don't think that's going to work, and move on.

networker050184

Yes it is a waste of everyone's time. If they won't tell me at least a range I'm not wasting my time talking to them. Tell them what you will work for and either they will give it to you or they won't. Its not rocket science.

shagism

fredmoogie wrote: »

and despite me asking them directly the salary/hourly rate/range. some have disclosed this information, some have said depends on your experience, and some have flat out said they won't discuss salary until after the interview. the first 2 i can understand. it's the last one i do not. i think this is a bad practice in the HR field.

my argument is let say you do the phone screen, set up an interview apt, take time out to come in for face interview, and it turns out the salary is less than what you expect? haven't you wasted their time and yours?

Yes, essentially it is a waste of time. My feelings are that HR knows that, and hopes that you became emotionally committed to the idea of this job and that you have resigned yourself to take whatever they give. You have to have the strength to walk away from something you don't want. There are obviously situations where you take whatever you can get, but if you have the resources to say no then do it and search for something better. Shitty jobs do not get better, they just stay shitty. Shitty pay does not get better, it just stays shitty.

I stayed at a company for 5 years and got steady, nominal, raises and then they decided to cut everyone's pay 10% essentially putting me back where I started. If I would have searched for better jobs either before or after taking that job I could, theoretically, found a higher paying job. I tried to take the "safe" route and just ended up screwing myself.