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So I don't know if they would take me as a serious candidate due to the low salary. Plus, I would think that takes away any negotiating power I could have.
It never ceases to amaze me that the negotiating power myth is alive and well.
Unless you are a superstar in your field you have little to no negotiating power. If you are a qualified candidate then there are 100 people just like you who applied for the same job.
Go on Glassdoor and read how much negotiating power employees have when they talk about interviews and onboarding. You will find that there's next to no negotiation. When we hire we sometimes give superstars 10% more than the originally anticipated salary. Good people can get up to 3% more than the original offer and that's it. If they don't want to take the job then we call the next person down the list and there's a never ending supply of talent.
What you can negotiate are fringe benefits such as a training budget, laptop/tablet in addition to desktop, cell phone allowance, parking space, flex time, 4/10th, conference travel, payment for membership in professional organizations (that can add up to a couple K easily). Basically anything other than salary.
A salary range is budgeted, you aren't going to bust out of that range. The organization doesn't try to [cheat] you on salary. The range exists to compensate based on verifiable outstanding performance and experience from junior to senior.
Last edited by PJSaturn; 10-06-2014 at 12:38 PM..
Reason: Inappropriate term deleted.
It never ceases to amaze me that the negotiating power myth is alive and well.
Unless you are a superstar in your field you have little to no negotiating power. If you are a qualified candidate then there are 100 people just like you who applied for the same job.
Go on Glassdoor and read how much negotiating power employees have when they talk about interviews and onboarding. You will find that there's next to no negotiation. When we hire we sometimes give superstars 10% more than the originally anticipated salary. Good people can get up to 3% more than the original offer and that's it. If they don't want to take the job then we call the next person down the list and there's a never ending supply of talent.
What you can negotiate are fringe benefits such as a training budget, laptop/tablet in addition to desktop, cell phone allowance, parking space, flex time, 4/10th, conference travel, payment for membership in professional organizations (that can add up to a couple K easily). Basically anything other than salary.
A salary range is budgeted, you aren't going to bust out of that range. The organization doesn't try to [cheat] you on salary. The range exists to compensate based on verifiable outstanding performance and experience from junior to senior.
Then doesn't it make salary requirements and recent salary questions, on online applications, a silly waste of time?
I would not answer the question at all. Read this article from Liz Ryan. Your current salary is nobody's business. All that matters is the salary the new job offers and whether you have the necessary qualifications.
I once told a potential employer my salary and they offered me the job for 1000 more per year, it was insulting. I agree, do not tell them your salary, just make sure you know the salary for the position you are applying for. Make sure you get all of that squared away before the in-person interview so you aren't wasting time with the process.
I would not answer the question at all. Read this article from Liz Ryan.
Liz Ryan cares about Liz Ryan. She isn't the one filling out the app and hoping for a job. She is the one who makes money off of ad impressions and her fluff training sessions. It's easy to have an opinion when it's not your livelihood on the line.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreshFresh
Then doesn't it make salary requirements and recent salary questions, on online applications, a silly waste of time?
Salary requirements are self-explanatory really. If you need more salary than they can offer then there's no point to consider your app any further.
Salary questions are aimed at showing professional progression. Most places will ask about the salaries at more than just your more recent place of employment. If you can show that you made more and more money over the years that's an indicator of good performance. Likewise, if your most recent job shows that you are bringing in big bucks it's also an indicator that someone at your current place of employment consistently believes that you are worth the money.
Unlike in stocks past performance is the best indicator for future performance in employment.
Salary figures are of course less telling when you are self-employed.
Put down whatever figure you can justify, and you think might help you in your negotiations.
I simply format salary as $95,000/annually. If that doesn't include draw, put $120,000/annually. Put your higher salary from two years ago if you prefer. If they demand proof of income and you decide to provide it, just tell them that the higher salary is what you are used to, and the lower more recent salary has caused you to look for employment.
Just answer "self-employed." Unless the employer is an idiot, that should explain all.
This is probably the best answer -- for someone who is 'self-employed.' For those who are not, the most recent salary question poses a real problem, since the primary role of most HR departments is to narrow-down the number of potential candidates. If one's salary is higher than the range for the position, one risks simply being eliminated without discussion.
Another often unavoidable aspect of prior salary that puts applicants at a disadvantage, is the practice of offering a potential new employee a salary, based on a percentage increase over their previous salary. This is why it is important for every employee to pro-actively ensure that their salary is at the upper end of the range for their position in the company ... and also commensurate with the local and national marketplace.
Therefore, the question of most recent salary is probably best left blank on an online or HR application form, until one can discover or preemptively asking about the salary range of the position. (Of course, the flip side of this game is that few, if any, companies openly advertise the salary range of a position they are trying to fill).
Can I answer this question in terms of hourly rate?
Like "My current salary is $60 per hour"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreshFresh
Then doesn't it make salary requirements and recent salary questions, on online applications, a silly waste of time?
Often, yes. Remember that the forms and websites are not designed by the hiring manager. Somebody at some point put in a requirement to include a salary field.
The HM gets this info, but different people will do different things with the information. Some will use it to weed people out because they had a high or low salary, others won't care. There is really no good way to predict how this information will be used, so you should just submit something and hope for the best.
I would just answer "self employed" as well. If you get an interview and the question comes up you can explain the fluctuation. Research or try and find out either before or at the conclusion of the interview, what the salary range or package would include. This might save you and the company time if you can't accept the terms.
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