<p>Following up on another thread, I wanted to tap into the CC knowledge bank. As our liberal arts college sr. pursues employment, likely in the non-profit sector, can anyone offer tips on how to handle requests for salary requirements? Apparently, some employers state that without a response to this question, they will not consider your resume and application. I know that back in the day, I was taught to avoid specific answers to this prior to an interview or job offer. We know that the one who speaks first loses in most negotiations. Of course, dutiful applicant wants to be employed and cooperative, without creating problems for herself. Thanks for your thoughts.</p>
<p>Give a range. Say, “Somewhere between $35,000 and $50,000,” if you suspect that’s where they’ll wind up.</p>
<p>They are trying to weed out applicants up front that don’t have realistic salary expectations. </p>
<p>I do this: “I’m flexible on salary. Perhaps you could share the budget for the position and we can see if we have a match.”</p>
<p>You could ask their HR department for the salary range for the position. So if the position is widget mover I, ask what their salary range is for a widget mover I. Alternately, you could look at public salary surveys for the company or region - there are some websites that have this self-reported information and it might work for you if the company or organization is large.</p>
<p>I would highly recommend your student seek advice from her school’s career office, who should have the best way of phrasing it as well as the current salary ranges for the positions that she is considering.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing these various approaches.They all make sense and could apply in different circumstances. Our student has been working closely with Career Services (finding it very helpful). I was just curious about this "new’ issue when it arose and wondered what others’ experiences have been.</p>
<p>Years ago there was a “jobs” book that suggested that requests for salary requirements indicated “information gathering” exercises by employers seeking to expand their own data base of salary information.</p>
<p>I don’t know why any organization that was decent to work for would ask for that information from applicants.</p>
<p>If I were submitting applications I’d finesse it somehow.</p>
<p>I’ve advised my son to put “market” when asked.</p>
<p>I like Iron Maiden’s approach. When I had my interview for my first job out of college, they flat out told me what the starting salary range was for the position. I wound up being offered the job towards the lower end, but with the understanding that I would get a 3 month raise after I completed training, and 3 months after that I would receive a 6 month raise after being on the job for a bit. I respected them for doing it that way… I had plenty of work experience but zilch in the insurance industry. I also qualified for a monthly bonus after month 3, which averaged out to be about 300 per month for my first year… so to me that was like an extra 3,600 in salary right there.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions and experiences. There are many ways to finesse this, and it helps to hear them.</p>
<p>I just realized that you said that she’s looking at the non-profit sector. I think the non-profit sector does do this with some regularity to weed out people who come from the for-profit sector with wildly different salary expectations, which is why it’s important to try to get the answer right.</p>
<p>My H has worked for non-profits his entire career. Very typically, after stating market range, the employer rushes to say this job will offer much lower because… it’s a good cause, donations are down, we’re in the Rust Belt, etc. etc. That is conversation, NOT salary negotiation. </p>
<p>Teach your student to recognize the difference between casual discussions about salary before a job offer is made, and the serious negotiations following a job offer. A lot of students get mixed up on that.</p>
<p>While the agency was feeling him out through casual money discussion during interviews, my H always quoted market range as his anticipation. They’d always object. Then he used this line to stop and redirect the conversation: “In my experience, reasonable people can always find a way to come to terms.” It reassured the agency to continue to interview him, even if they wanted to offer below market. It paved the way for serious negotations later. It’s also diplomatic, because everyone likes to be – and deal with – “reasonable people.” After saying this line and seeing them nod, he’d use his next answer to steer the interview off of salary expectation issues (his or theirs).</p>
<p>Since your student is so new, the phrase “in my experience” isn’t credible, but perhaps could be said, “I’m confident that…” "I hope that… "</p>
<p>Sometimes, he’d end up with a job offer and agreed to work below market, for a variety of reasons that made sense at the time. Housing costs in the surrounding city can be used to justify a lower-than-market salary if the “market” salary figure came from a nationwide survey. Personal geographic preference, family proximity plus good fishing nearby can all make it okay to work below market.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the specific suggestions. I bet they are helpful to many college seniors. CC wisdom is so valuable. Love the “reasonable people” approach.</p>