Have I ruined my chancesI received an email in reference to my resume yesterday so I responded showing interest in the opportunity. With that said we decided to meet for a few minutes, so it wasn' t an interview just an informational session. During the session, the Director of the company is looking at my resume that is posted on Monster.com. He sees that I am requesting a certain salary. So he asks: "60k is what you' re requesting?" I respond "Yes." He is silent. Which made me feel akward so with out thinking I said: "Anywhere between 55-60k would be great." Immediately after the words left my mouth, I cringed inside. I wanted to stick with the 60k. I did some research on the position and found that in the area where the job is located the salary ranges from 61k-68k. Although I haven' t had my interview yet, have I ruined my chances to negotiate salary? Well he was looking right at your monster resume. He saw your requirements, knew them probably before he met you... So what are you so worried about? It is not uncommon for someone to put a certain amount on their monster resume to say weed out the junkers, some types of recruiters, etc,. but to consider something lower than is stated on Monster....no big deal. Nothing to be ashamed of. You have a personal relationship with money. How you lookat, feel, think about money, how you relate to it, how you control it, or let it control you, or your emotions. Only when you have mastered your relationship with money, will you be stronger than money, and truly in control of it, and thereby draw it into you.
First off, the salary survey for the job in that part of the country probably isn' t an accurate reflection of what employers are actually paying. Nevertheless, I don' t think you hurt your chances of being offered $60K at this early stage of the process. It wasn' t even an interview, just an informal discussion, so once you know more about the job and its requirements and once the prospective employer knows how well your qualifications for the job fit those requirements, I would anticipate some salary negotiation going on. If, for example, your qualifications are a great fit for the requirements of the job, I think you' ll be in an ideal position to counter an offer that' s less than $60K, if that should happen, by proposing a range within which you feel you need to be. Let' s suppose you' re offered $55K. Just politely ask if the offer is negotiable and, if it is and if you' re asked what salary you have in mind, you can reply by saying something like, "Based on my qualifications, skills, training, and education, and how well they fit the requirements of the job, I was anticipating an offer in the $60K to $65K range," or, "Now that I know more about the requirements of the job and what will be expected, I feel a salary in the $60K to $65K range would be in order," or words to that effect. Zat help? The job is located in Arlington, VA. So you' re saying that maybe the quotes for the salary range may not be accurate? First, what was your "research"? If it is salary sites, they tend to run high. If you looked at the same or similar jobs in your area that posted starting salary ranges, those are a far more accurate barometer of what the pay should be. Second, you should have done the research first. I don't point this out to beat you up, just for others to realize that you should go in prepared. Third, if $55-60 was acceptable, you should have said that. If $60 was your number you should have stuck with that. Again, you should have your number ready before going in. Finally, I don't think you hurt your chances. Ass paul said, review the responsibilities of the position and if you feel they warrant a higher pay, use that as a reason to get back to $60K as your bottom line salary. BTW - you said that you haven't had your interview yet. In reality you have had your first one. Never meet a prospective employer without the realization that the meeting is an interview. Call it anything you want... lunch, informal meeting, introduction... they are all "interviews". "review the responsibilities of the position and if you feel they warrant a higher pay, use that as a reason to get back to $60K as your bottom line salary." And, to reiterate, you not only base your request for a higher salary on the job responsibilities, but on how well your specific skills, background, and talent meet them.... You certainly haven't ruined your chances. It's all about supply and demand. If they need you and like you, they won't balk at paying a reasonable sum. If they have other candidates or just want to fill a chair they may play games. The more important question is do you really want to negotiate? If you're a hot commodity, I'd say yes. Tell them you need a week or two to think it over while you consider other offers. But don't lie. If you're unemployed in a low demand field or location and this is the first nibble you've had in a while, don't take a chance. You just might talk them out of hiring you. If you want the extra dollars it is important to keep your resume in circulation. Every time I've promised a company I wouldn't interview elsewhere they've always rewarded me with a lowball salary. Sad but true. | |
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