Acceptable to ask salary range?

If one is to be invited to interview is it acceptable to ask what the salary range is?

I would have thought a decent company will provide it.

Thanks

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Node Man

I wouldn't ask a range. I would say what i require.

PCTechLinc

It has been said "whoever brings up money first loses." I have, however, brought up salary first before and found the pay more than acceptable.

That being said, I would not bring up salary on the first interview unless let they brought it up first. I would try to find out the salary range in other ways, such as public postings online, or even Glassdoor from anonymous employees.

NetworkNewb

I wouldn't at the interview, I would at the initial phone call or email with whomever your talking to at the company.

Did anyone read that first line in an old royal English accent? "If one is to be invited to..."

chickenlicken09

haha, maybe i will leave it so.

skswitch

I don't understand the taboo of asking for pay amount.

"Who ever brings it up first loses!". Surely the person on the other end isn't going to go "WHAT! He asks about the pay for this job! Unspeakable"... /toss resume

Its going to be situational.

- Did you apply to them?
I would think this is the most common route. You need a job, apply and they get back to you. They could ask what you were making before, what you expect for this role or you can ask them what is the range. Range is always better instead of a set amount since it gives at least some negotiation room. If the conversation its about the company or job responsibilities then you suddenly steer it to the pay rate and blurt out "HOW MUCH DOES THIS PAY?". That may bring a red flag that you may only care about pay not the opportunity. I also wouldn't say it takes this amount $$$ to get me. take it or leave it. Keep in mind though there may be another person out there who could also do what you do or better and take a little less than what you'll take.

- Did they reach out to you first? Are you actively looking?
If you are currently working and they contact you it could give more leverage to you when asking the amount if you'' take it. Would you leave though for a certain amount or if it met something you want to work with? Then think of a number you would do that for. They are going to meet it or not. If they response with something that is not ideal, no sweat off your back.

How to judge and steer the flow of the conversation is where I feel most people fail. This is how we got people saying, "You should say A!" then another person says, "No B!, It worked for me!". Then "Don't do C!" cause it never worked for them but then a few posts down another person says it worked for them lol.

People's personalities varies and will response differently to the range of approaches you can do. In order to get the answer you want, the approach will need to be different for each person to be effective.

Node Man

After burning enough vacation days for 'final interviews' to find out they want to low ball someone, it starts to get easy to say within the first 3 sentences "Hi, nice to meet you, the least I will work for is $xxx,xxx.xx.

PCTechLinc

@skswitch I agree with all your points. However, when I brought up the quote "whoever brings up money first loses," I didn't mean bringing up money would lose out on the job. I meant that historically if the company brings up pay first, the applicant has more bargaining power to raise the salary (possibly). It doesn't necessarily mean that is the way things are now, but many people still have that mindset.

NetworkNewb

Node Man wrote: »

After burning enough vacation days for 'final interviews' to find out they want to low ball someone, it starts to get easy to say within the first 3 sentences "Hi, nice to meet you, the least I will work for is $xxx,xxx.xx.

This^^^^ Has happened a couple times.

skswitch

PCTechLinc wrote: »

@skswitch I agree with all your points. However, when I brought up the quote "whoever brings up money first loses," I didn't mean bringing up money would lose out on the job. I meant that historically if the company brings up pay first, the applicant has more bargaining power to raise the salary (possibly). It doesn't necessarily mean that is the way things are now, but many people still have that mindset.

Sorry! I didn't mean to single you out. I've just heard that saying a lot and people are known to use it as a rule of thumb.

@Using vacation days. I completed get that. Especially when I've done that too using all time off and maybe some I didn't have...for that situation I would ask beforehand instead of taking time off.

My last interview I didn't know the pay range verbally yet but did look at glass door beforehand so get an idea. Since I was working four tens I didn't need to use any time off.

networker050184

I wouldn't even consider interviewing for a position I don't have at least a ball park number for. Definitely acceptable to ask.

NotHackingYou

Node Man wrote: »

After burning enough vacation days for 'final interviews' to find out they want to low ball someone, it starts to get easy to say within the first 3 sentences "Hi, nice to meet you, the least I will work for is $xxx,xxx.xx.

Agreed...earlier in my career I didn't ask and I wound up wasting a lot of time. I look at this this way - I need to know if we have a compatible range before I invest my time. I would think the potential employer would also want to know this before investing time. I also look at it as a bullet dodged if I'm rejected for wanting to know this information.

Danielh22185

I agree with what several have already said and this is how I conduct myself. The 1st person you talk to generally in most cases won't be the actual hiring manager, unless the company is enough people to count on 2 hands. Ask the initial recruiter for a ball park figure. I would NOT mention any form of compensation anywhere in the interview process. If you are willing to go on an interview (meaning use up your valuable time doing so) you best have some of the initial details known like (compensation range, location, working hours, etc).

Edit:
I'll let be known I actually got burned pretty hard in a recent endeavor for a new job. I disclosed up front my desired compensation. The recruiters knew up front the range the hiring manager would be willing to pay but still went ahead with submitting me. So I assumed my figure was within the range. I went in for 2 face-to-face interviews for that company only to find out the hiring manager wouldn't even budge on pay and immediately rejected me solely based on my compensation requirement. I was pretty pissed on the hours I wasted.

So, things may still not go 100% perfect if you follow the logic of getting the compensation info ahead of time but most times it will save you from the burden.

Funny note: I got another offer from another company 3 weeks later for exactly what I wanted (actually more).

cyberguypr

+1 t networker050184's and NotHackingYou's comments. I do not move a muscle until we make sure we are in the same page. I value others' time as much as I value mine.

TechGromit

NetworkNewb wrote: »

I wouldn't at the interview, I would at the initial phone call or email with whomever your talking to at the company.

I concur, why take days off from work to interview if your thinking 90k and they are thinking 60k. If they decline to give you a range, I'd tell them straight up, I would need at least 90k to even consider a move.

TechGromit

Danielh22185 wrote: »

I'll let be known I actually got burned pretty hard in a recent endeavor for a new job. .... I went in for 2 face-to-face interviews for that company only to find out the hiring manager wouldn't even budge on pay and immediately rejected me solely based on my compensation requirement. I was pretty pissed on the hours I wasted.

Sure your still going to have misunderstanding like this, but if you could eliminate most of the jobs that are not going to pay, think how much time you saved. As for that recruiter, did you cross him off your of contacts? Or was he the same contact that got you the better paying position?

NOC-Ninja

I wouldnt ask when I was new to and I needed experience.
However, now, I tell them - We can talk if this position pays more than XXX,XXX amount. If they say no, then I tell them Im not interested.
Reality is I dont want you to waste my time.

Legacy User

I agree with everyone else. You better find out the range before proceeding because as others stated if you are looking for lets say 90k and the position is only paying 65k you better know so you do not waste your time and take a day off of work for nothing.

kurosaki00

NetworkNewb wrote: »

I wouldn't at the interview, I would at the initial phone call or email with whomever your talking to at the company.

Agree.
Usually interview process is something like 1 technical and 1 HR, or sometimes 2-3 technical with 1 HR.
When you talk to HR, talk about salary. Usually when someone calls me from a company they ask me about compensation. Be honest and straight forward. You dont want to spend 5 interviews to only learn their max is 10k lower than your bottom number.

anhtran35

When a recruiter contacts me I inform them straight up near the end of the conversation my salary expectations. I do not want to waste mine or their time any further.

blargoe

networker050184 wrote: »

I wouldn't even consider interviewing for a position I don't have at least a ball park number for. Definitely acceptable to ask.

Same here. I am not going to have more than a two minute position overview conversation without either knowing a general range, or letting them know (politely) that they are wasting my time if the number is not in $x-y range if the position really intrigues me.

yoba222

I suspect that not being forthcoming about salary range is a tactic used by some semi-competent hiring managers to get a candidate to invest time and emotional energy into the interviewing/hiring process. This way the hiring manager can offer a lower than it should be salary--think sales pitch at the car dealership.

If the candidate accepts this lower salary, the hiring manager likely just gained:
1) A mediocre employee willing to settle for lower pay, and that's A-okay for the company. It's good enough and saves a buck so that must be good.
2) A talented employee that undervalues themselves, and that's a Score! for the company.

MitM

I typically ask for a range.

Someone reached out to me the other day about a position. I asked for the salary range and the reply was not something that I was used to. I was told it depends on your experience as well as your current compensation. They asked what I was currently making and said if offered the position, I'd get close a 20K bump in salary and a bonus. However, that would be on the low end of what they'd normally pay, but since I am currently making X and I don't get a bonus, they wouldn't be able to offer me much more, without a real good reason.

This was annoying to me. I'm about to throw out arbitrary numbers but if the position pays $180K, don't offer me $140, just because I currently make 120k.

My buddy said I should have lied about my current salary, but I don't believe in doing that. Especially, if they verify.

greg9891

MitM wrote: »

I typically ask for a range.

Someone reached out to me the other day about a position. I asked for the salary range and the reply was not something that I was used to. I was told it depends on your experience as well as your current compensation. They asked what I was currently making and said if offered the position, I'd get close a 20K bump in salary and a bonus. However, that would be on the low end of what they'd normally pay, but since I am currently making X and I don't get a bonus, they wouldn't be able to offer me much more, without a real good reason.

This was annoying to me. I'm about to throw out arbitrary numbers but if the position pays $180K, don't offer me $140, just because I currently make 120k.

My buddy said I should have lied about my current salary, but I don't believe in doing that. Especially, if they verify.

You shouldn't have told them your current salary, and allow them to come up with a salary on their own. Its well with in your rights not to tell them.

odysseyelite

I just had a phone interview and at the end I brought it up. I just asked because I want to make sure we are in the same ballpark otherwise we are just wasting each other's time. The guy was fine with it and he even said I was the first person to ask, the others didn't bother.

I now say I'm looking for x. I dislike providing my current salary and I dislike providing my w2 to prove to anyone. I've done all the mistakes. I've learned its pretty easy to say I have a NDA signed and am unable to provide salary information but the number I looking for is X. I also say that number may change depending on other benefits like 401k matching and bonus. I've also learned a range is crap. If you give a range they know you will take the lower number.

ITSec14

The best thing you can do is just state your desired salary and be able to back it up by researching your market rate based on experience, certifications and education. If a potential employer declines your asking price, ask them about benefits package or a potential signing bonus. Sometimes taking a bigger pay increase doesn't always mean much if the benefits are expensive. I didn't take a huge pay increase with my current job, but I'm also only paying around $100 a month for ALL of my wife and I's benefits plus a nice 401k match which is 100% vested immediately, compared to my last job where health insurance alone was $600 a month and everything else sucked too...it's about the total compensation package, not just salary. Skip the range and stick with a specific number...

NOC-Ninja

Dont ask because they will give you a question which is, How much are you making right now?

The best answer would be:

I require this salary - 1 million plus bonus, relocation assistance, heaven and earth. This due to my yeas of experience, 10x CCIE, CCDE, Hax0r and PHD.

revbox

My personal way of salary negotiation. In a perfect world, a salary range is posted for the job. If I can work for a number in that range, I apply/express interest. If not, then I move on. If a salary is not posted, I'll include a line in my cover letter about how I am excited to discuss this position along with the expected compensation. That way during the phone interview or face-to-face, I can bring it up as an unanswered question that hasn't been covered yet. If I meet resistance, but am invited back for a follow-up interview, in scheduling that meeting my response will assert that I expect to discuss compensation at this time along with seeing the print out of insurance coverage.

I know that is hardball to some, but I'm not going to interview multiple times for a job that I do not know what will pay or the insurance benefits that comes with it. These items are important in the evaluation process. If at any time it is requested to know my current salary, I counter with financial compensation figures are covered by an NDA, but that I'm happy to discuss what I am expecting for this role.

Anyone worth working for is going to respect someone who is on-point with their business acumen and knows their own value. It is the crummy environments that want to play guessing games or hire the cheapest person with a pulse.

BradleyHU

If salary range isn't provided in the job description, then I would bring it up during the initial email/phone screen. This way, you're not wasting their time, and more importantly, YOUR time...

BradleyHU

[QUOTE=odysseyelite;1096759I've learned its pretty easy to say I have a NDA signed and am unable to provide salary information but the number I looking for is X.[/QUOTE]

i always bring up the NDA...

MitM

odysseyelite wrote: »

I now say I'm looking for x. I dislike providing my current salary and I dislike providing my w2 to prove to anyone. I've done all the mistakes. I've learned its pretty easy to say I have a NDA signed and am unable to provide salary information but the number I looking for is X. I also say that number may change depending on other benefits like 401k matching and bonus. I've also learned a range is crap. If you give a range they know you will take the lower number.

Nice! I've never thought about using the NDA line. What are the chances that when they call to verify your employment, they'll ask about this NDA?

I agree if you give a range that they'll know you'll take the lower number, but if you just give X, isn't that probably going to be the lowest part of the range, anyway?