Guys I’m interviewing for a new job. i have made it past the final rounds of interviews and I am filling out a final application. On it, it asks what my desired salary is. Do you think I should leave it blank and see what the offer is going to be? I have been getting conflicted advise. Thanks,
By all means, answer it. Whenever I’ve interviewed for a position, they’ve asked what my current salary+bonus is. Be up front and honest about what you think you’re worth. Don’t under-sell yourself.
The only problem is my current salary is about half of what i’m going for. The companies and the jobs are different so maybe i could explain that somewhere. It is hard to know what to say.
tell them your desired salary and indicate that you are willing to negotiate given it is a progressive position with potential of movement up the ladder, it is not written in stones…
Well if you could tell us the city / kind of work you’d be doing, we’d be more of an help
Salary.com will help you with market rates for salaries. It costs $50, but it’s worth it if you are this close to somethign real. You may find that your market value is well over $50 more than what you are tempted to put down to get a job. Or you might find that your market value is less than you were hoping to get, and therefore you are less likely to put down something that will make them think twice about offering you something. In any case, it is helpful to know what the market rate is. You should always tell people what the market is paying for your skill sets and experience (unless you are currently overpaid, in which case you mention what your current salary is as a starting point). It does help to know a market rate. When asked what I’ve been looking for, I say something along the lines of: “What I’ve seen as the market rate for this kind of work is XXX to YYY, and I would be happy with something in the mid to high end of this range; however, I don’t want money to be a an issue that stands in the way of finding the fit that works best for both of us.” It also helps that this is genuinely how I feel, so it comes across as fairly sincere.