Salary Requirements

It is one of those questions on a job application that is difficult to respond to. Rarely does an online application give you an opportunity to say that you are willing to negotiate your compensation and benefits package.

It is often easier said than done but you should sometimes look beyond the salary number and examine the total compensation package. It is possible the better job offer is not the one with the highest salary. See comparing two or more job offers.

If there is a glut of job-seekers with essentially the same skills and experience that you have, you can expect salaries to be lower than if similar job-seekers are in short supply.

Salaries can range based on the industry of the employer. For example, companies in a service industry such as tourism often pay less than companies in a manufacturing industry such as technology.

The cost of living varies dramatically in different parts of the country. For example, it costs much more to live in large cities than it does in small ones.

Regardless of what you have been paid in the past, spend some time reviewing industry reports of salary ranges for people following your career path and especially those in the position you are seeking.

Let us talk about the job requirements and expectations first, so I can get a sense of what you need. That is a soft answer to a soft way to ask the question.

Applications are tough because there is no way to skirt the question and if you leave it blank, some employers may not even consider you. In this case, it is always best to write something down.

Some factors to determine your worth are given below:

☛ Your career path

☛ The industry of the employer

☛ The geographic location

☛ The demand for job-seekers

☛ Compensation beyond salary

I think you have a good idea of what this position is worth to your company, and that is important information for me to know.

You can see the pattern, right? If you think you sound obnoxious or obstinate by not answering the question, think of how he/she feels asking the question more than once.

You can see the pattern, right? If you think you sound obnoxious or obstinate by not answering the question, think of how he feels asking the question more than once.

Also, by the time the interviewer has asked two or three times, the interviewer will know that hiring you means having a tough negotiator on his team is another reason to make you a good salary offer.

I am interested in finding a job that is a good fit for me. I am sure whatever salary you are paying is consistent with the rest of the market. In other words, I respect myself and I want to think I can respect this company as well.

I would appreciate it if you could make me an offer based on whatever you have budgeted for this position and we can go from there. This is a pretty direct response, so using words like "appreciate" focuses on drawing out the interviewer's better qualities instead of his/her tougher side.

This position is not exactly the same as my last job. So let us discuss what my responsibilities would be here and then determine a fair salary for this job. It is hard to argue with words like "fair" and "responsibilities", you are earning respect with this one.

The first rule of salary negotiation is to avoid discussing numbers until the company has extended an offer. This is when you have the most power to negotiate but as any job seeker will tell you, this is no simple feat. Recruiters typically try to pull this information out of you as early as the initial phone screen, if they did not already request your salary requirements as part of the application process.

Whenever possible, do not volunteer information about your salary history or your salary expectations or requirements in your cover letter, resume or during a job interview. Information is power in job-hunting and your goal should always be to hold on to your power as long as possible by delaying discussions about salary as long as possible.

Here are a couple phrases you can use to deflect questions about your salary requirements:

☛ I am sure we can come to a good salary agreement if I am the right person for the job, so let us first agree on whether I am.

☛ I have some idea of the market but for a moment let us start with your range. What do you have budgeted for the position?

Once you have done the research, come up with three numbers:

☛ What is the ideal dollar amount you want (and still have the recruiter take you seriously)?

☛ What dollar amount (given the going rate) is reasonable and would still make you happy?

☛ What is the lowest dollar amount you would accept?