Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with salary and job

What non-monetary things could I ask for in my contract re-negotiations?

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:00:17 -0800

What non-monetary things could I ask for in my contract re-negotiations? Due to some contractual inefficiencies that aren't worth getting into, I have been asked by my boss to suggest some non-raise ways of increasing my employment package. I have a basic idea or two (more vacation time, built in raise at the end of the year of X%), but am looking for some more suggestions.

About my job: Have been on contract for 1.5 years; new contract will be Jan 1 to Dec 31. Work for a large publicly traded communications company in a senior-ish role. Can't get a permanent role until someone leaves, which, for reasons that aren't worth getting into, will almost definitely not happen before Jan 2011 at the earliest.

What metrics are sales professionals guided by?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:27:00 -0800

What metrics are sales professionals guided by? Working with my sales manager to help redefine how inside and outside salespeople should be compensated and reviewed.

Everything from leadership to new accounts to call metrics to closed business... how does your business (or your competitors) judge the success of your sales force?

[Also, if you have any articles of interest or website recommendations, it would be just as valuable.]

Do I apply for a lower-level position?

NotSoSimple — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:02:28 -0800

Hate my boss, like my job. Local county notified me of two positions available I previously was interested in. Do I go? Complication: Child on the way. Have been at this job for just over 5 months. Job title is 'Systems Administrator' but it is a hybrid as I am the only IT guy for 3 locations and 75% of the work force. Great experience, great job, but I hate my boss. I was notified that the county has two positions open that I previously applied for but did not follow through due to my current position. They are entry level (Possibly boring?) but the starting pay is more than I make now. Currently at $40k/Year, and the new positions start at $42k and $44k. I hate having to be the new guy, and I am afraid I am suffering from 'The grass is greener'. I would also be back on the bottom and have to work my way up which is a bummer. Current company has potential of great growth (We are hiring ~10 per month and no stopping in site) but my management is failing on promises of increased IT staffing, comp time, etc.

Complication: We are expecting our first child in December and I am paranoid something will happen and I will not be able to provide financially. My wife also works at the same company as I (Different job title and department) but is a newer employee so no paid maternity leave, and is hourly.

Do I try out for the County jobs? I used to do Search and Rescue and LOVED the interaction with local law enforcement/government. I would be more receptive to staying at my current place if I was offered more money, but that dosnt look like it would happen. I DO NOT want to get fired by trying to have them match salary.

Moving From Public to Private Sector and Getting Paid

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:33:09 -0800

How can I transition from a public-sector web job to a private-sector job and get a good private-sector salary? I'm a web developer with over 10 years experience in the industry, and I've been working as a web application developer in a Bay Area university for the last seven years. I develop web applications and content management systems, and I have experience in information architecture, graphic design, and copy editing.

I'm looking for a private-sector job due to budget cuts making the university position untenable. I see a lot of web developer positions in my area and the salaries range from the mid-80s to mid-90s and up depending on the position.

I had an interview recently for a web manager position that required a considerably broader range of responsibilities, and they tried to lowball me by offering low 90s when I knew the position had been listed online starting at 100K. They asked how much I currently make; I eventually told them (77K) even though I don't feel it's relevant because:

* Private-sector jobs pay more than public-sector jobs so they aren't directly comparable.

* This job has more responsibilities than web developer jobs that pay in the range they mentioned.

* I don't make what the university's salary guidelines say I should be making for someone with my experience. I initially started as a temporary employee and my initial salary and two increases (over seven years) were based on a low starting salary.

What other arguments can I use? I know switching jobs is the best time to get a substantial salary increase, and I don't want to start a new job feeling like I'm not being paid what I'm worth.

An acceptable answer to a salary inquiry?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:36:47 -0800

How do I respond to an interviewers salary questions? In just a few days I have an interview with another company. From past experiences I know that at some point I will be asked what I currently make. This normally wouldn't be a problem but I am hesitant to do so with this interview.

I know that in this new but similar role you generally make at least 20k more than what I make now. That's a fact. What I fear is that I may low-ball myself and drastically reduce my earning potential if I tell them, even though I am just as qualified as everyone else. This is assuming everything goes well and I get an offer.

Should I not answer with a number and just tell them it's negotiable?

Should I exaggerate my current salary to something closer to their standards?

Right now I am leaning towards the negotiable option but it's not set in stone.

How do I negotiate salary?

schroedinger — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:42:47 -0800

Negotiating salary. What? How? Do I email? Phone? Accept the offer, and then negotiate? And what wording do I use to not sound like a dick? All right, I got offered a job! However, I'd like to negotiate the salary to get maybe $1-2/hour more. Here are details:

- The HR director sent me the email on Thursday, and was out Friday, back on Tuesday
- I have not officially accepted the offer yet
- The position is entry-level

Things in my favor:
1) I am hardworking, a good employee, good references, blah blah, but I'm guessing this will not sway them as I haven't worked there yet
2) I am considering other offers that pay $3-4/hour more than what this job has offered me
3) I know for a fact the guy who worked the job before me, who had similar credentials, was paid the salary I'm asking. Before [i]him[/i] they paid someone $3/hour more than that (though that person had much better credentials than I do).

Things not in my favor:
1) This job is entry-level
2) I do not have direct job experience in this exact area

I'm not sure how this negotiation will work. Do I send an email that says "I would like the job, but could you give me more money" just to acknowledge the offer as quickly as possible? Do I wait until Tuesday and call to say the same thing? Do I accept the offer by email, then call to negotiation on Tuesday? Do I accept the offer with HR and negotiate the salary with my would-be supervisor? I have no experience in this area whatsoever. I don't want to leave the offer hanging over the weekend, but I also have read it's improper to negotiate by email.

Also, what specific language would you recommend so I don't sound greedy?

Subsisting in the 502

Anonymous — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:50:02 -0800

Is it possible to live in Louisville, KY on a salary in the mid-30's? Where? I'm thinking of accepting a job offer that would pay in the mid 30's, near the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. Where in the city, if anywhere, could a single fellow rent a place and live on that modest a salary? Proximity or easy transport to the UL area would be a plus. Bonus if near parks, bookstores, mass transit, music venues, etc.

Going from full-time to contract work?

um_maverick — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:47:53 -0800

A friend of mine is giving his notice tomorrow due to long hours and high stress not being worth it in the end. He would, however, be open to returning as a contractor or part-time, with limited hours and role. How does this work? The friend is pretty highly credentials (masters in finance and CPA), with both "Big 4" and corporate experience totalling about 6 years. He's fairly indispensable in his current role, which just makes it more stressful. He's already tried to get some of the tasks off his plate (for over a year at this point), with no success, and the company, like many, is in a hiring freeze so there's no relief coming. However, if he could lock in 16-20 hrs/week, maximum, to do the truly important tasks, he'd be ok with that. That being said:

Is coming back as a contractor something he should offer while tendering his resignation, or should he hope that the boss brings it up?
It seems like in this situation, working part time could eventually lead to full-time hours at part time salary, and contracting would be a better way to contain the hours. Is that a reasonable interpretation?
Is it better/easier to contract directly with the company, or go through a third-party firm?
What hourly rate can one expect? He's in a Seattle suburb at a rather large manufacturing company (no, not boeing :)), if that helps.

Thanks all!

Bookselling salary guide?

Miko — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:14:45 -0800

I'm looking for salary guidelines for a job outside my field that I'm interested in -- coordinating events and marketing for an indie bookstore. So I just had some conversations with the owner of an independent bookstore. They're looking for someone to manage events and marketing. The goal is to take the bookstore from its current, basic approach to the newer model of community engagement, frequent instore events, partnerships, big author events, etc. The job would involve the event planning, working with publishers, marketing, managing a presence on social networks, etc. It will also involve serving as the assistant manager, the second of two fulltime staff in the store. About half the time would go to the marketing and events, the other half to bookselling and management tasks. I wouldn't do hiring or payroll.

The store is in an affluent Northeastern college town. The goal is revenue growth through increased event sales, and increased overall sales from newly-built customer loyalty. So there are some success measures that can be built into this job.

It's a newly created job; I would largely define what directions it develops in. I have all the required skills.

We're at the stage where I need to communicate my salary requirements to them. I'm coming from the world of nonprofit management, so it's not like I'm expecting hundreds of thousands; I already work for modest wages. But I'm afraid of both lowballing them, and coming in way too high, and I can't find any references. There's a baseline I need to make, but if I can beat it by a lot, I will definitely try. Does anyone have any idea what a job like this could command?

How much should I be making in IT?

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:42:04 -0800

I'm The IT for 50 users. What is my salary range? The economy sucks right now, and I realize I'm worth only what someone will pay me, but help me decide whether I'm working for slaves wages. I get paid $55k a year plus some benefits. I'm the only guy at a firm of 45 users. Here's what I've done over the last 12-14 months:

- Upgraded to the latest Exchange version, moved and now monitor 100GB of mailbox storage.
- Turned the PBX over to VoIP, expanded to a branch office and programmed the routers, switches and associated VPN
- Also implemented this "unified messaging" thing with IM and other fancy features
- Virtualized a rack into just a 3 or 4 physical servers (with 10-15 servers a piece)
- Support mobile, branch office and other users.
- Most importantly deal with the fact that no one else in the company has any idea of what I do beyond the occasional visit to install a program.

Ok, ok. Sort of burnt out I work 50-60 hours a week. I'm beginning to feel as if I'm really underpaid for this job, and I don't know anyone else who does IT who can help me judge my salary. Out of college I researched tech companies for a consultant relative. I'm 25 now, he retired about 18 months ago and I promptly got this current job through a connection as a "a smart kid who could figure things out." Well I guess I went from an elevated help desk to deploying servers and expanding into branch offices. I'm an expense and don't make money for the company in a direct way, so I have no idea how to value myself. Is my salary in the price range I should expect?

Again, I do realize the job market is bad, but I'm trying to gauge if I just feel underpaid, like everyone feels, or if I really am underpaid.

"So what kind of salary were you looking for?" What's a good answer to such a question?

krautland — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:50:26 -0800

"So what kind of salary were you looking for?" What's a good answer to such a question? I hate this moment in interviews when a potential employer asks how much I want. the range of what I could ask for in my industry is wide and the trade-rag statistics don't really help me either. so I usually go with what I think is fair. sometimes that's right-on but sometimes it's too much and sometimes it's too low.

this question is about to come up again. I'm tempted to go low because I quite like the opportunity but the potential job brings serious responsibilities with it and I don't want to suggest that I'm less experienced than I actually am. the written information I do have on the position does not state what kind of salary they are looking to pay at all.

so how should I handle this question? is there a nice way to deflect the question back to the interviewer, to suggest they should make an offer?

Did they think I wouldn't notice a ten-dollar difference?

corey flood — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:40:26 -0800

Finally, after months of interviewing (and helpful input from the hivemind) I have been offered a job I really, really want. Here's the problem: the pay that they quoted me today is vastly less than the pay that was advertised. How do I handle this? Last Friday I was overjoyed to be offered a job that seemed fantastic in every respect, particularly in terms of pay. The PDF of the original posting gives the monthly salary as starting at $4,026.00/month, with a 30-hour work week. Hourly, that should come out to $33.55 per hour.

Today I went in to do all the HR paperwork, and was handed a sheet that said that I would be paid $23.22 per hour. At the time I didn't say anything because I was trying to process a lot of information, and because I wanted to do my own calculations again before asking questions.

I'm incredibly angry. I feel like this job posting was completely misleading. Tomorrow I plan on speaking with the person who actually hired me, but here's the thing I'm not sure of--if employers post a certain salary in the job description, is that the salary that they're obligated to pay you? If it isn't, it seems like businesses could just lure people in with promises of fantastic pay, and then say "oops, oh, sorry we goofed!"

I realize that luck is probably not on my side in this case and that it will probably come down to either taking this job for far less money than I had anticipated or finding something else altogether.

Thanks

What should I expect at an annual review?

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:42:21 -0800

My first annual review is coming up at my first real job. What do I expect, especially regarding discussion about pay/raises? I am an internal tech support guy (with a few other tech-related responsibilities) for a medium-sized business. This is my first "real" job. (I've only worked in huge chain retail and restaurants and whatnot before this.) My very first annual review is coming up in a couple of weeks.

Seeing as this is my first annual review in any job, I just want to mainly know what to expect. What kind of things are we going to talk about? What will they say? What should I say? Most importantly, what about a raise or discussion over compensation? What is a standard raise, and do I have any negotiation power?

I really like my job, and my benefits are great, but I feel like my base compensation is not quite what it should be. I've done a bit of poking around on salary websites and have talked to a couple people in my field, and from what I've seen it looks like I'm getting paid probably about $6000 less per year than I "should" be. I think part of this is that, again, this was my first real job. The second part is that I'm relatively young for this job. Both of these things were made clear when I got hired as reasons I was somewhat "on probation," if that makes sense.

I have a really good relationship with my direct manager and the rest of the chain of command, and I don't want to spoil this by being greedy or seeming ungrateful. So what can I expect, and what can I do to best prepare?

Denied a raise; what is my next step?

RingerChopChop — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:21:01 -0800

I was denied a raise that I really deserved because the small company I work for "isn't doing so well right now." My request came after I was given a very positive review in which all parties agreed that have exceeded expectations. When my request was denied, the individual who denied it acknowledged that there is a large inequity in terms of pay in the office and that when we have enough money to give raises, I am the first in line. I was also told that we need to wait and see how the 4th quarter goes, and that I should ask again in 60 days because the financial picture might look better then. I feel that I'm being fed a line here and that when I ask in January the "picture" will still be that I'm not being paid what I deserve.

So, are people paid based on the quality of the work they do or the ups and downs of the business? Should I insist on equal pay for equal work or do I just trust that they have my best interest at heart but just honestly cannot afford to pay me what I'm worth?

If it matters, I'm the youngest person working for the business and am female. The "inequality" in salaries is that some individuals make four times the amount I do.

Appropriate salary for a legal conflicts analyst?

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:53:57 -0800

I am applying for a job as a legal conflicts analyst, and the employer wants me to list a salary requirement in my cover letter. Problem: I have no idea as to what figure would be appropriate. This is for a branch of a large international law firm in a mid-size city in the northeastern US. The position involves investigation of conflicts of interest. Candidates are required to have a J.D.

I've looked online but haven't had much luck. Help, please?

How can I make sure I can squeeze as much money as possible out of my company in my new position in DC?

decrescendo — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:13:46 -0800

How can I make sure I can squeeze as much money as possible out of my company in my new position in DC? I'm currently working for a small, employee-owned 28 person company in Southern Maryland. I currently pay about $1000 dollars per month for rent and have a salary of $52k.

I do not like the area down here whatsoever, so I told my company I was going to attempt to find a job in DC. The CEO of our company then asked me to take a look at one of our positions in DC. I said I would but I wasn't really sure if I would be interested in it.

Now, I really want that DC position. The more I hear about it, the more I like it. There are many reasons for taking this position, but the main one is that I basically end up with a promotion out of this move while staying with a company that I really enjoy working for. It also gets me working in an area I really like (Crystal City) and this position is definitely a step up from the one I currently have.

The person in my company who previously had this job I'm going to take made at least $110k while working there. I am going to be ending up in this position after only one year of work experience after graduating with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He was coming off an illustrious Naval career.

I know the contract for this position up in DC makes my company enough money to pay the previous employee at least $110k. Otherwise, they wouldn't have paid him what they did. How can I make sure I can get as much money as possible, keeping in mind I only have one year of experience and make $52k now? I don't want to offend my company by sounding greedy, but DC is very expensive.

I am making the move to DC because I want a change in lifestyle. My company knows this. They know I'm bored out of my mind down here. I made it clear to them that the reason I was looking for employment in DC was ONLY due to what my life is like after 4 pm. It has nothing to do with my current position. They then offered me this more senior position so they apparently like me a lot and want to keep me around (and need to fill this position before they lose it).

How can I make sure I can make as much as possible in this position so I'm able to live where I want to live without starving myself to make the rent payment and deal with the cost of living? I already work for this company so I'm sure this type of negotiation is not the same as it would be by coming from the outside. Any advice?

Thanks, yet again, MeFi.

What kind of salary should I ask for at a test-prep place?

Inigo Jones — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:05:04 -0800

I'm applying for a job as an academic coordinator at a Kaplan/Princeton Review type place. They're asking me what my salary requirements are and I'm not sure what to say. What's an average salary at one of these places? I have a degree in math and have around 3 years of customer service and training experience. They're asking for my current salary and my salary requirements. What's a realistic answer for my salary requirements? Ideally, I'd like something like $30,000 a year, but I'm not sure whether that's realistic (though, it very well may be).

Has anyone worked at these test-prep places before? What should I expect to be paid?

I'm looking for pound notes, loose change, bad checks, anything

LiveToEat — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:58:57 -0800

Salaryfilter: I'm worried I gave a range that was too low and now I'd like to prevent any screwing of myself. I work in publishing, make a decent-to-low salary (no one gets the big bucks in this industry anyway) but am in a rut at my current job. I'm bored, no opportunity for advancement, bad company dynamics, etc. I applied for a better position at a competitor in town, and in a pre-interview phone call, I gave a salary range that was slightly more than what I make. At the interview, salary was never discussed. But the interview went well and I'm really interested in the position.

Afterwards, I talked to my dad, a baby-boomer business man, and he said I should have asked for a minimum of 15% more than what I make now. This is over $4000 more than I make now at my entry-levelish job, which seems high but not unrealistic. Now I wish I gave a higher salary range.

My Questions:

Does this 15% rule still apply? To the publishing industry? Do people really make such big salary jumps between jobs?

No job offer has come, but if it does and they offer me something in the range I gave, can I ask for more (before I accept the position, of course)? How do I reasonably do this? What do I say and how do I say it? Something like, "I'm very interested, but wouldn't leave my current job for less than $X"? Do I be honest and say I meant to give a higher range but instead gave them a range of my current salary?

Am I screwed? Should I just take what they offer, pending that it's at the higher end of the range I gave? I'm pretty sure my current employer wouldn't counter-offer, plus I'm not really interested in staying anyway.

I guess I would take a better job for a little more pay than what I make, but I'm worried I missed a chance to make a couple thousand dollars more than I do.

How to handle salary discussions before you have a job offer?

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:50:34 -0800

Help with salary negotiations? The standard wisdom -- which I've been trying to follow -- is that you aren’t supposed to talk about salary until after you get a job offer. But the organization began talking about it when they called to schedule the first interview. Suggestions? I applied for a job. They required a salary history. I sent mine, stating that I make, let’s say, $60k (the details are changed here; it’s less than that). An assistant called, saying they wanted to schedule an interview with me, “but [boss] wanted to flag the fact that the salary for this position is in the mid-40s. Would you still be interested?” I paused (a bit surprised, really) and said something noncommittal, like “it would certainly be worth us having more discussion about the position.”

Next, I had a phone interview with the supervisor. The discussion had very few questions about my qualifications (one question). The call’s purpose seemed to be to explain the position and allow me to ask questions. She brought up the salary, and said that they have “authorization” to offer up to $48k, what did I think? I said something like “I would want to consider the salary in light of the full package, including benefits and the opportunities for professional growth.” She explained the benefits package (including a matching donation to a retirement account, which I admitted would close some of the gap).

The job offers a lot of opportunity for professional growth; I'd be really passionate about the work; they’re a great organization; and I could still live on the lower salary (though my ability to save would go way down). If offered the job, I would like to take it. But a 20% salary cut is still hard to take. It’s a much tougher decision than it would be if they could close that gap a bit more.

How should I handle this? Should I start to openly admit that it would be a tough decision for me at their current budget? Should I continue trying to wait until they actually offer me the job (or not)? I’d rather discuss salary once we've decided if I'd be a good fit for the job. But if so, how do I field the question? I think they may have the impression I would consider taking the job at the current salary, because I’ve typically changed the subject to how I’d be very excited to contribute to the organization. I don’t want them to think I’m agreeing to it and then seem to change my mind later. Since they keep trying to get me to say that salary is okay, they may not have much flexibility, but they must have some, right?

How would you handle this?

How do I negotiate my new salary?

matholio — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:56:01 -0800

What strategy should I adopt to clarify and hopefully increase this job offer? I have a job, I think it's a good job, but for various reasons I want to move on.

I had an interview with the CEO of a smallish company, and I thought it went well.

During the 1st interview, the topic of remuneration was discussed, I wasn't really ready for it, and frankly I think I made too many positive noises too early. Some figures were mentioned and afterwards I wished I had made my position clearer.
Basically there was some confusion on my part about Base/Package.

I was tempted to call back to clarify it, but I didn't want to sound over confident.

They followed up with a reference check, and finally a telephone interview with a senior technical consultant. All went well and they made an offer today.

The offer is exactly what the numbers mentioned by the CEO.
Looking at the offer, they have included Super (pension) in the Base.
That's a significant amount, say, at least 8% of Base. Maybe more but they have not indicated how much Super they offer (why?).
It's not really normal to roll these numbers together, quite unusual actually.
Also, regarding the bonus, it's KPI linked, but the KPIs will be thrashed out during the probation period.

So my question is how do I approach these discussions?

In my initial conversation with HR, I stated a minimum base.
In my mind Base does not include anything else.
The CEO may well believe we had an agreement in the first interview.
The at risk component is quite significant, so I feel they have room to move.
Should I offer to give up potential bonus, for more base salary?
Should I mention it's not usual to include super in the salary?

There no point moving for the offer they have presented, but I like the role, I think it will suit me, and they are keen to fill the role. They have been with out this role for at least a month and already feel standards are dropping.

My gut feeling is they can and might meet my minimum salary expectations, I just don't want to stuff it up with my lack of negotiation experience.

Sorry for the rambling back story, I hope it's coherent enough.

Salary negotiation: Can I ask my employer-to-be to match a counter-offer from my current employer?

PlusDistance — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:52:41 -0800

I've accepted a new job and I'm giving notice tomorrow. I may have low-balled myself, salary-wise. If my current employer counter-offers, can I ask my new employer to match? Just agreed to take a new job. It's an exciting opportunity at well-regarded company, but they're a relatively small operation, and people who worked there told me they were "downright cheap" when it came to salary. So when the recruiter asked me what I was looking for, I made an initial offer that was less than I would have asked for elsewhere (but more than I thought they'd give me). I expected them to counter, but instead they called back and gave me exactly what I asked! (The recruiter said, "Yes, that's pretty much what [executive I interviewed with] was thinking.") Now I wonder if I've low-balled myself.

Tomorrow morning I expect to get the offer letter, and then I'll give notice. My current employer might counter offer on salary.

Two questions: Would I be jeopardizing my new gig if I went back and asked them to match the new offer? And if not, how can I phrase it so it doesn't sound (or sounds less like) I'm simply shaking them down?

Being laid off, while being offered a new job at the same place. Severance available?

BecauseIHadFiveDollars — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:42:51 -0800

Been wanting to quit my job. A unique situation has popped up which might allow me to do so which might give me severance/unemployment. Am I correct? I work for a group that is actually made up of two distinct organizations, each with different tax numbers and whatnot. My department is being moved from one organization to the other which, as a result, is being handled thusly for employees.

1) Each employee will be terminated on such and such a date from the first organization. At the same time...
2) Each employee has been given an offer letter for a new job that must be signed and accepted by each employee by before the such and such date above, else they have effectively lost their job due to the previous termination.

It seems to me that we are being laid off, with the assumption that we will immediately take the new, unsolicited, offer. Due to the situation outlined above, am I entitled to severance or unemployment, which I could use to find a new job? Or, by them offering us a new job, does that negate that possibilty?

This is honestly one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make (I have 10 years of experience working at this job, combined between consultant and employee, but have lost almost everything I enjoyed about working here) but this might make the decision more palatable.

I asked about salary too soon. How do I recover?

whatideserve — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:09:35 -0800

Help me recover from my faux pas! I am applying for a new job (within the agency I currently work for) and I asked about the salary before the interview, which the supervisor did not like. How can I handle this so I don't completely blow my chance at this job? I applied for an internal position at my agency and I have an interview next week. I e-mailed the supervisor of that position to clarify the salary because I'd been told two different things. The salary is a make or break issue for me. She e-mailed me back with the information and a note stating that, for future reference, I should not ask about salary before the interview. (I read this question and it appears people are mixed about when to ask salary questions.) Should I explain that the salary was make or break for me and I did not want to waste her time if I wasn't going to be able to take the position? Or do I just say "Thank you for the information. I won't make that mistake again"?

You hang up first. No you hang up first. No you hang up first...

boots — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:02:12 -0800

At what point in the job interview process is it appropriate to inquire what the salary might look like? I've been doing the job interview thing for far too long now, and I'm getting pretty damn good at it, if I do say so myself. However, there's one point that I'm still unsure about. I was led to understand (from where, I don't rightly recall) that one waited until after a job was offered before even mentioning salary, benefits, etc., let alone negotiating them. My parents think this is absurd. They think that I should inquire what the salary range might look like during first interviews, because "you're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you." That part I understand, but for some reason salary seems like the exception to that rule.

So, who's right? Do I ask about potential salary before they offer me a job (or bring it up on their own) or do I bide my time and wait until they've made an offer to negotiate like hell?

NYC if it makes a difference.

It's not you, it's your salary expectations.

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:05:21 -0800

I was turned down for a job. The reason given was that they couldn't match the salary range that I could get from other jobs. Is this a common "polite lie" among employers or is this the actual reason for me not getting hired? I interviewed with a company, and as far as I could tell, it went well. I seemed to connect, and there were no major gaffes or stumping questions.

The next day, I was informed that I had good experience but that they thought about it, and they couldn't pay me what other employers would.

The thing is, a whole week before the interview, they asked what my salary was so you'd think they'd be able to figure it out right then and there. However, at the interview, I did let them know about another offer I had which was about 10% more than my current salary. (They asked if I had other offers.)

I'm thinking that if they were really interested in me and were strapped (this is a small company), they'd just match my current salary and hope for the best. So, I'm guessing that this is just the polite "reason" they're giving.

Can anyone confirm that this is a typical employer way of letting people down easy? What's the likelihood that I really was turned down for money reasons?