Salary history vs. new cost of living
I currently live in a city with low cost of living, I make around $28K a year, and while that's not amazing, for a non-profit organization it is pretty standard for the area. I am currently looking to move to New York City for personal reasons, and you know the cost of living is about 2-3x more than where I live now. I know that if I wasn't in non-profit I would be making a lot more here, but I am not 100% set in staying in non-profit in NYC. So my question is: Several of the positions that I have been applying for ask for a salary history, when they see that I make $28K now will I automatically be offered less money even though the cost of living is different? The jobs that I have been applying for in NYC have salary ranges from $45-65K which is market value for the area and is the range that I would prefer and am "worth" based on my prior experience and education. Will my current low salary hinder me from "catching up" to the new cost of living? No, I honestly don' t think it will. People working in New York know that it costs more to live in that part of the world than in Daisyville. Furthermore, I think you can make the point that you also know that your present salary would be significantly higher if you were doing the same job in New York and that, therefore, you anticipated salary is negotiable within the $45K to $65K range. Just make sure that the requirements of the jobs you' re applying for are pretty much comparable, in terms of responsibilities, to the job you' re leaving. Make sense? I like that. In addition to what Paul said, it wouldn' t hurt to add your salary requirement whenever you mention the salary history. So if you are asked what you are making/made on your last job, you say "My last position paid $28K, which was average for that position based on the cost of living in Daisyville, however my salary expectation for this position in NYC is $45-50K." | |
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