"Expected Salary" Question on Application

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s a non-profit or association, you can pull the 990 and extrapolate a reasonable salary for the position.

Or give a range, and say you can be flexible, based on total compensation.

When I have been on the hiring side, I’ve trashed letters that get cute with salary requests. I don’t want to waste my time or the candidate’s time if they are way out of my range.

Serious question, if you don't want to waste your time, why don't you share the range you expect to pay?

THIS! Tell people how much you are willing to pay the right person to do the damn job and stop making the applicant play some guessing game as to what number it is you want them to submit!

I cannot +1 this enough. Why can't you be honest with your range? You have a range ... you act like you don't and won't share that information, but then you want the candidate to share really personal information?!

+1. Hate that so many companies require a hard number just to submit an initial application for a position.

But I get it. This is an asymmetrical market where employers have their pick of many many applicants. Getting applicants salary information accomplishes two ends:

1. Sure, you get to know how much an applicant hopes to earn in the new position. When you control the game, always have the opponent make the first move. You know how much you are willing to pay but why give up that advantage.

2. The employer gets to harvest salary information from ALL applicants, including those working for a competitor. This data is gold. A smart company would post job openings that aren't real, just to collect the salary data.

Yes, we all hate HR.

[Anonymous]

If I have to give a number, I go high. Normally, I might be willing to take a 10-15% raise, depending on other benefits. If I have to give a hard number on an application, I quote between 20-25% higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is always frustrating because the compensation package can completely change what salary you need. My husband was at a job that paid $100K PLUS 15% salary into 401K, full medical for the entire family and 5 weeks vacation. When he was looking to change jobs he interviewed for a company that was willing to pay him the $100K. Seems great. Until you find out the company has no matching for 401K, gives 2 weeks vacation and only pays 90% of medical for the employee and 20% for the rest of the family. Do you see how different a $100K salary can be?

True, but at least give a range to see if you're at least in the ballpark.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is always frustrating because the compensation package can completely change what salary you need. My husband was at a job that paid $100K PLUS 15% salary into 401K, full medical for the entire family and 5 weeks vacation. When he was looking to change jobs he interviewed for a company that was willing to pay him the $100K. Seems great. Until you find out the company has no matching for 401K, gives 2 weeks vacation and only pays 90% of medical for the employee and 20% for the rest of the family. Do you see how different a $100K salary can be?

That’s why your husband should have said in his cover letter that his salary requirements were flexible, and dependent upon the total compensation package, but he would anticipate an annual salary of $110-$130k. When the offer of $110k was made, he should have asked about bonus, 401k match, PTO, FSAs, commuting expenses, telework, and insurance premiums. Then he should have compared total compensations, and negotiated from there. I have never had an issue getting the realistic salary I wanted when I came to the table with hard numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s a non-profit or association, you can pull the 990 and extrapolate a reasonable salary for the position.

Or give a range, and say you can be flexible, based on total compensation.

When I have been on the hiring side, I’ve trashed letters that get cute with salary requests. I don’t want to waste my time or the candidate’s time if they are way out of my range.

Serious question, if you don't want to waste your time, why don't you share the range you expect to pay?

THIS! Tell people how much you are willing to pay the right person to do the damn job and stop making the applicant play some guessing game as to what number it is you want them to submit!

I cannot +1 this enough. Why can't you be honest with your range? You have a range ... you act like you don't and won't share that information, but then you want the candidate to share really personal information?!

I wish we could-I'm at a nonprofit and do a lot of hiring. We aren't allowed to post salaries for positions. Our board does not want current employees to know (even aproximately) what their coworkers make in terms of salary). But we do require a range of expected salary when you apply for one of our jobs, and if you don't respond to the question, your resume is ignored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s a non-profit or association, you can pull the 990 and extrapolate a reasonable salary for the position.

Or give a range, and say you can be flexible, based on total compensation.

When I have been on the hiring side, I’ve trashed letters that get cute with salary requests. I don’t want to waste my time or the candidate’s time if they are way out of my range.

Serious question, if you don't want to waste your time, why don't you share the range you expect to pay?

THIS! Tell people how much you are willing to pay the right person to do the damn job and stop making the applicant play some guessing game as to what number it is you want them to submit!

I cannot +1 this enough. Why can't you be honest with your range? You have a range ... you act like you don't and won't share that information, but then you want the candidate to share really personal information?!

I wish we could-I'm at a nonprofit and do a lot of hiring. We aren't allowed to post salaries for positions. Our board does not want current employees to know (even aproximately) what their coworkers make in terms of salary). But we do require a range of expected salary when you apply for one of our jobs, and if you don't respond to the question, your resume is ignored.

Do you ask what salary they are looking for? Or what they currently make? Do you ever use the information they give you to offer a lower salary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they want your current Comp, give that too.

No, do not give your current compensation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I wish we could-I'm at a nonprofit and do a lot of hiring. We aren't allowed to post salaries for positions. Our board does not want current employees to know (even aproximately) what their coworkers make in terms of salary). But we do require a range of expected salary when you apply for one of our jobs, and if you don't respond to the question, your resume is ignored.

Wow, we'll all have egos bruised forever because you think your shitty paying non profit job is deserving of applicants groveling for your attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I have to give a number, I go high. Normally, I might be willing to take a 10-15% raise, depending on other benefits. If I have to give a hard number on an application, I quote between 20-25% higher.

+1

A job move is worth this increase. Any employer who wants to just pay you what you're making now doesn't want YOU - it wants a body to fill the role. Don't work for someone who doesn't value you, even at the interview stage. Doing anything else simply means you're selling yourself short.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't write negotiable. Ok to put a range (be honest about what range you would accept). I come from nonprofit world, and we were once hiring for an entry level position, and found a great candidate. She aced the phone interview and first round. At second round, we asked her what salary she was looking for. Her response was $80,000. Our mouths hit the floor - entry level for us was $25-$28k. So while she might have been negotiable, she wasn't even close to our ballpark. From that day forward, 15+ years later, we REQUIRE a salary range, and if you don't put one, you are not considered (you didn't follow directuons).

Esp. if it's nonprofit, they don't want to waste their time, or yours. Might be different in for profit world....

Whoever conducted the phone interview should have discussed salary requirements, and wasted the time of the "first round" interview panel by failing to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't write negotiable. Ok to put a range (be honest about what range you would accept). I come from nonprofit world, and we were once hiring for an entry level position, and found a great candidate. She aced the phone interview and first round. At second round, we asked her what salary she was looking for. Her response was $80,000. Our mouths hit the floor - entry level for us was $25-$28k. So while she might have been negotiable, she wasn't even close to our ballpark. From that day forward, 15+ years later, we REQUIRE a salary range, and if you don't put one, you are not considered (you didn't follow directuons).

Esp. if it's nonprofit, they don't want to waste their time, or yours. Might be different in for profit world....

Whoever conducted the phone interview should have discussed salary requirements, and wasted the time of the "first round" interview panel by failing to do so.

This. Curious what job the person was applying to where they thought 80k for an entry level role was going to be accepted.

[Anonymous]

I don't get the range part, why should I give myself a max for what I want to earn? I want to earn as much as possible, always.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s a non-profit or association, you can pull the 990 and extrapolate a reasonable salary for the position.

Or give a range, and say you can be flexible, based on total compensation.

When I have been on the hiring side, I’ve trashed letters that get cute with salary requests. I don’t want to waste my time or the candidate’s time if they are way out of my range.

Serious question, if you don't want to waste your time, why don't you share the range you expect to pay?

THIS! Tell people how much you are willing to pay the right person to do the damn job and stop making the applicant play some guessing game as to what number it is you want them to submit!

I cannot +1 this enough. Why can't you be honest with your range? You have a range ... you act like you don't and won't share that information, but then you want the candidate to share really personal information?!

I wish we could-I'm at a nonprofit and do a lot of hiring. We aren't allowed to post salaries for positions. Our board does not want current employees to know (even aproximately) what their coworkers make in terms of salary). But we do require a range of expected salary when you apply for one of our jobs, and if you don't respond to the question, your resume is ignored.

Do you ask what salary they are looking for? Yes


Or what they currently make? No

Do you ever use the information they give you to offer a lower salary? No. We are very careful about paying salaries that meet our reasearched benchmarks. We have never done that and never would.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I wish we could-I'm at a nonprofit and do a lot of hiring. We aren't allowed to post salaries for positions. Our board does not want current employees to know (even aproximately) what their coworkers make in terms of salary). But we do require a range of expected salary when you apply for one of our jobs, and if you don't respond to the question, your resume is ignored.

Wow, we'll all have egos bruised forever because you think your shitty paying non profit job is deserving of applicants groveling for your attention.

We aren’t that kind of nonprofit. Our salaries are actually high (once you get past the most entry level positions).