2nd interview...no mention of salary?

[Anonymous]

Just had a second interview with a company that I'm very interested in working for...if the money is decent.

Unlike many other jobs I've applied for recently, they didn't ask for salary history or desired salary. They do govt. and other contracting work and I am familiar with the salaries for those positions in big companies, but this is a very small (25 employees) young (started in 2009) company.

At the end of the 2nd interview, one of the principles said I could contact the office manager to find out about benefits (he is based at their main office out of state). And they acknowledged that we had not discussed salary, but then did not say any more about it, only that they would be getting back to me in 1-2 weeks.

Is this typical? I recall earlier discussions on this forum about how it's good to have a salary range acknowledged, so no one is wasting their time if there is a serious mismatch. But I heard it was a big no-no to put out the first number, so I kept quiet.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if that's typical but they will quote a salary with an offer if they offer you a job, at which point you can negotiate. I would get the benefits info now so you can decide more quickly once you get the salary number from them.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP. Having worked for smaller organizations, my guess is that they haven't decided what the salary should be for the position. Maybe they haven't hired someone at your level recently, maybe they're not sure what level they want to hire at and haven't crunched the numbers. So just be ready. And good luck!

[Anonymous]

11:23 here again, yes good point PP if it is a small org it could be much more variable. I too work for a very small company and what I've learned from interviewing many candidates since starting here it ultimately comes down to what unique skills or background the candidate may have, so that the company can write them onto certain contracts needing those skills. The revenue from the contracts the candidate will be put onto will essentially determine the salary offered.

Don't forget that benefits package matters nearly as much as the flat salary - get that info now and use it to compare what you currently make (with your current benefits pkg) and determine if it's acceptable.

If they make an offer, you might as well try to negotiate higher and say "I would not be comfortable making the move for less than XX" and they'll either say "Okay how about YY (in the middle)" or they'll say we can't go higher than [original offer], at which point you can say you'd like a couple days to consider all the factors or something like that. They've made you the offer so they want you, and you should have (some) room to attempt negotiation. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP here...thanks all...very helpful! I know they just scored a major contract and that's why they're hiring, and I think I fit the bill for the experience on that one.

I don't have any benefits as I'm freelancing. Fortunately, DH works for the feds, so OK on the health and dental...but I don't have disability, life insurance, or a 401K (or equivalent), and that's what I'm really interested in. I am also hoping they are open to flextime/telecommuting 1-2 days/wk. Are there any other possible benefits I should be thinking about?

[Anonymous]

You should broach the subject with an expectation in the next round.