Gave current salary in CV, mistakeI just had what I felt was a successful second interview and upon returning home I found an e-mail requesting references which I have provided. Salary has yet to be brought up but they did ask for salary range in the cover letter. I said "I currently make $XX,XXX and would be seeking compensation competitive with my current compensation" Was this a mistake? Will they feel the need to only match my current salary or will they look to increase it considering I would be leaving a comany I have been with for a few years? They aske me why I was job searching and i told them the truth that I wanted to grow professionally and wanted new challanges. Have I backed myself into a corner already? I don' t want something well beyond my current salary but I would like it to increase with the move... (I have 3 years industry experience, one year within this specific position). The general feeling is that you shouldn't make a lateral job change or less than a 10-15% increase in pay (all other things considered equal). Your comment was sort of vague and may have left the interviewer with the impression that you would accept roughly the same pay. If all other things are equal, you should have the bottom end of your salary range 10-15% above what you make now. You should also know what the market value of the job is by looking at the same or similar jobs in your area requiring the same or similar education and experience. Hopefully the market value and the 10-15% increase you want are in the same range. If the market value is lower, chances are you won't be getting the increase and you should reset your salary expectations or look for higher paying (e.g. more responsibility) jobs. That' s not necessarily a big mistake. You will be considering the entire compensation package, so if the benefits are better than what you currently have, a salary offer close to what you' re now getting might be satisfactory to you. When they do make you a job offer, compare the responsibilities of the position with the pay and benefits and go from there. If the responsibilities are greater, the compensation should also be greater. That is what you will negotiate. I don' t think this was necessarily a fatal mistake. What you probably should have said, however, was something like, "My anticipated salary is negotiable within the $X to $Y range," with $X being equal to your present salary plus 10% and $Y being equal to your present salary plus 15%. The way to move forward with this is to wait and see what sort of salary offer is initially made. If it' s equal to your present salary, you should be in a good position to politely ask if it' s negotiable and, if it is, to counter with a range along the lines I' ve suggested, based on what will be your more complete understanding of the requirements of the job, what will be expected, and how well your particular qualifications for the job match those requirements. It just wouldn' t' t make sense to switch jobs for the same salary - all other things being equal. The idea, generally speaking, is to advance one' s career and earnings. | |
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