What are your salary requirements? (Vanity)

[freepinglurker]

How do you answer this question?

[freepinglurker]

You do know that every time someone checks your credit, that an "inquiry" is placed and drags down your credit score don't you? Most background checks include credit checks. I do not wish for multiple inquiries. I only want the employer that I am interested in to have this information. An interview is a two way street. I'm interviewing them as well.

[freepinglurker]

Ha ha--I meant online applications as well--before you even are asked for an interview--burns me up.

[avacado]

When asked what are your salary requirements it is best to have researched a answer before hand. That's called being prepared. Employers like people who are prepared and know what they are talking about. When asked, tell them without hesitation what you are expecting.

I am a software engineer in the oil & gas industry and I have worked contract and salary and have no problem telling a prospective employer what salary or hourly wage I expect. I know my value and I know my industry.

[NeoCaveman]

About ten years ago, give or take, there were these sketches on Saturday Night Live with a character named Pat. The joke was you never knew if Pat was male or female.

[dinasour]

If you have to ask, you can't afford me.

[freepinglurker]

Sales jobs can involve commission, salary, quotas, bonuses, territory etc...

[avacado]

"Sales jobs can involve commission, salary, quotas, bonuses, territory etc..."

You still need to research the position and have a solid answer ready.

[ex-Texan]

The employment process is ripe for exploitation. Most employers ask all sorts of rude and impermissible questions in written applications. E.g. They find devious ways to ask about your age, race, ethnicity, and religion. Then they ask for your signature to give them access to normally confidential information. Catch 22: If you sign you may open up embarrassing issues to scrutiny. If your refuse to sign the application they may lawfully refuse to interview you. I suggest signing with a fake signature (If your real name is Malcome D. Owens, sign "M.D. Owens" in an unreadable scrawl). Then if they violate your legal rights, you may properly sue the b@stards. Good lawyers may drive a truck through waivers of liability obtained in employment applications.

[subterfuge]

My Answer:

"Anything in the low to mid six figures would be sufficient"

[Deguello]

Back in the 80's I had made contact with a oil company headquartered in Dallas. The guy asked for me to call his secretary and set up an appointment for a interview.

I went through the channels and had a date/time set for the interview. I dressed sharp and carried my resume and references and proceeded to his office on the 20 something floor of a downtown Dallas building...the interview turned out to be for Amway.

I was pissed and told him so.

[DungeonMaster]

There is a job in town that I would really like. I'd be willing to take a pay cut to get it due to the type of work and my lack of experience but it would be worth it. If I ever got an interview, I'd have to know the answer to that question based on my calculations of how much I and my wife and 6 kids still living at home could do without. It's a perfectly fair question.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Reasonable answer: Always ask for more than you making, you can say you are flexible if the position sounds interesting. Don't make it a show stopper unless that's your sole reason for looking.

"Do what you love, the money will follow."

[wagglebee]

Sales managers are thrilled to no end to have salesmen working for them who are leveraged beyond the hilt with huge mortgages and car payments.

[mom4kittys]

Employees could say the same thing working for debt ridden companies.

[mom4kittys]

I know. They are unbelievable and the promises they make are usually garbage. I had a written contract at my last job as a manager for a certain territory with a quota (in writing) Within 6 months they eliminated 2/3rds of my territory and i still had the same quota. Unbelievable. They just promised me the territory to get me to come on board.

[Fierce Allegiance]

HR types always got around the age thing by looking at the dates you graduated HS and College.

I never list my HS (I have enough meat in my resume to nt have to go back that far), and I graduated college 11 years after leaving highschool, so I tend to appear younger than I am. I also lok a good bit younger than I actually am. I guess that's both good and bad. Companies like experience that i won't necessarily get credit for, but theyals don' want really old types usually.

[CJ Wolf]

Salary requirements.

Well, ask yourself that question. How much do I need to do the job requested, pay my bills, have some for savings and feel good about it? Then add 1/3.

If you are lucky enough to be in a situation where money doesn't matter, then you have no salary requirements. All of your requirements are job satisfaction.



Good luck.

[knittnmom]

Then my mother has an incredible edge - she obtained her associate degree when she was in her 50s! :-)

[SF Republican]

I have been looking for a better job and recently posted about how I was asked to take a personality test for a job offer--I declined. Would it not be better to find out ahead of time if you are not right for the position? Having interviewed a number of people asking them to name what this ink blot looks like or drawing a couple of pictures can be a tremendous insight one does not obtain in a 15 minute talk.

[RockinRight]

As much as possible!

;-)