salary
Curious, why do some employers fail to put a base salary range on the job posting? When xyz company says the range is a to b and you have the low end of the experience they are looking for - would you suggest going in at mid point of where the salary range is?
I don' t think it' s a matter of employers "failing" to list a salary range but, in many instances, deciding not to list it - for whatever reason they deem appropriate - even if it' s just to find out what job seeker' s salary expectations are. With regard to the second part of your question, I think you need to come up with a salary range that: 1) At least meets your particular income requirements and, 2) Reflects how well your qualifications for the job match the requirements of the job. If you know, for instance, the budgeted range for the job you want is between, lets say, $X and $Z, and you know that your qualifications are nearer the low end of their requirements than the high end, I think it would be fine to say that your anticipated salary is negotiable within the $X to $Y range, with $Y representing the mid-point of that range. Start by politely asking them if their initial salary offer is negotiable. If it is, counter with a salary range. Say something like, "I was anticipating an offer in the $16 to $18 per hour range," and see what they say. In addition, if their offer is negotiable, I think you also have to be ready to state exactly why the job will be worth that much more to the employer because of the experience, training, skills, record of past job performance, and education you have that make your qualifications for the job a great match for the requirements of the job. If the offer isn' t negotiable, you may have to pass. Remember, it' s not so much a matter of the salary making the job worth YOUR while, as it is a matter of your qualifications making a higher salary worth their INVESTMENT in you! I am currently employed as a logistics planner with a fortune 500 company and my base salary is in the low $60' s, not including benefits or bonuses. The potential employer I am in communication with does not have any idea what my current salary is. I have been out of school from undergrad. for approx. 4 years, all with my current company, do not have an MBA and have never gone through the process of changing jobs. This position is with a very small supply chain consulting company, total employees of 16, and I am having difficulty with how to approach the discussion of salary. I have spoken with the CEO in which he requested I submit my salary requirements for the position, but no formal offer of employment has been made as of yet. All of the research that I have done indicates that the average salary for the type of business consulting position I am applying for is in the $80k-$96k range, but I worry that, with only 4 years of experience, this is too significant an amount to request and will discourage the potential employer from continuing the process of hiring me. One other thing to note, I am in a position of strategic advantage over most other candidates, as the position they would be hiring me for directly fills a need they have for someone to work directly with my current employer who already knows there systems and has relationships with their people. The only problem is that I don' t have a good understanding of whether or not that strategic advantage is enough to off-set my potential lack of experience. Please accept my sincere apology for not responding to your question in a more timely manner. I just didn' t notice another posting to my initial "Welcome" message. In hopes that this may be of some benefit, I would suggest that it' s far more important for you to know what salary range you need to be in to pay all the bills, make ends meet, and at least maintain your present standard of living. If you' re working, you should be looking at a salary that' s at least 10% to 15% more than you' re earning now. In other words, come up with a salary range which, at the low end, you' d be pleased to accept and which, at the high end, you' d be thrilled to accept. I personally recommend about a $10K span between the bottom and the top. So, at the beginning you need to know what your anticipated salary range is. You can ask what the budgeted range for the position is, but I don' t think you can push the point if the prospective employer isn' t inclined to tell you what their range is. The point isn' t so much underselling yourself as it is making sure that your own anticipated salary range meets YOUR needs. If a salary offer will do that, take the job. If it' s below your range, that' s when negotiations begin. I have an interview tomorrow in my chosen field with a dream company. My previous position was "eliminated", so I really need this job as quickly as possible. I have been in this situation before in that I wanted a job very badly, so felt uncomfortable negotiating because I didn' t want the offer to go away. I have been asked to fill out an application prior to my interview and it requests my salary requirements. I would like to find out what the salary range of the position is prior to providing this information, so I' m not under-selling my skills. Is that accceptable to do prior to an interview? I don' t want to end up in another situation where I accepted a job just because I needed it so badly, but on' t want to jeopordize things before I even interview. | |
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