1st phone interview, can i ask salary
I will be having an initial telephone interview tomorrow. When there is a chance during the call, can I ask how much is the offered salary? Or is it too early since this is the first phone interview? Thanks.
I would not bring it up unless they do on the initial interview. You do not want to make it seem that all you are interested in is the salary. You want to be able to ask yourself at the conclusion of the interview "Would I be happy working here?" The salary should be icing on the cake. Good Luck!
Generally speaking, no. However let's face it. We all go on interviews not knowing the salary and end up wasting time because the salary isn't close to what we want. So, if the phone interview ends up with "I'll pass on this information and we will call if we want you to come in for a face-to-face interview" just leave it at that with no salary discussion. If at the end of the phone interview they ask you to come in, you will have to gauge how much of a waste of time it would be for you. If you don't mind going on the interview (let's say to improve your interview skills) you can go without asking salary. However if it would be more difficult for you to get there because of job or time considerations, you can certainly say "I don't want to waste your time with an interview if we are far apart on salary. Can you tell me the range you have budgeted for this position?" I absolutely would NOT ask about salary right out of the box. There are other things you need to know first, not the least of which are the requirements of the job and being able to assess how well you qualifications fit the requirements. The only circumstance under which it makes sense to state what your salary expectations are during the first interview would be if you're perfectly happy with your present job, see a future with your employer, and don't want to waste time with interviews unless there's a chance for a significant move up corporate ladder. Make sense? Paul W. Barada The Negotiation Expert
Jobs that don't advertise how much they pay is a major pet peeve with me (same with houses for sale that don't mention the location). For people who currently have a job it can be VERY difficult to take time off work without much advanced notice, and to not even know if the salary is going to meet your qualifications until after an interview can be an extreme waste of time. Since its not "OK" to ask about pay before the interview, is it reasonable to include your salary requirements in the cover letter even if the employer didn't ask for it? Sure! If you re-read my initial response, you'll note that wrote that I think it's fine to either ask about the salary range during the first interview - or to state what your salary requirements in your cover letter - IF you have a job you like and wouldn't mind keeping it at all - unless a great opportunity were to come along. Paul W. Barada The Negotiation Expert
I absolutely agree with you. Non-inclusion of the pay scale in any position is a completely ridiculous policy which has spread like wildfire among companies and job boards. I am not 'all about the money' when it comes to career, but to exclude this information from a job description is both devious and dishonest.
I'm pretty much with Chet on this. Don't bring salary up unless they do, and until/unless you get to the point during the phone interview at which they say, "Let's set up an appointment for you to come in and talk with us." Then, I'd, rather than put it in terms of wasting one another's time, say something like "This position really sounds interesting and like a good fit. However, I'm currently working and it can sometimes be logistically awkward to take time off to interview. Can you tell me what the general salary range is for this job?" Or say, "I'm looking at positions that pay between $X and $Y; before we get too far along here, does this position pay within that range"? If they hem & haw, or won't tell you, then I'd decline the interview. It's kind of tricky to try and find out ahead of time what the job pays; but it also doesn't make sense for you or for them for you to interview for a job that pays $V, when you are already making $W and looking to make more. Often, the more professional recruiters (either in house or agency) will tell you at some point, or ask you, what the salary range is--before they invite you to interview. | |
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