Posted on 01/17/2007 6:56:13 AM PST by freepinglurker
How do you answer this question?
What are your salary requirements? In response to a resume I sent to the company for a sales position. I inquired if we were talking about straight salary, commission, bonuses, benefits etc... She said that would be discussed later. Then she asked about my salary requirements again. How do you answer this question when you don't know all the factors?
During my recent job search I have been baffled as to why a signed application is needed to be filled out before the interview process even starts. Of course they ALWAYS demand your SSN and DL number. I think a resume should be all that is necessary at this point. I do not like this type of personal information laying around and at this point I am not even sure if it is the company I want to work for. It happens on online applications as well. Shouldn't this information be provided AFTER an offer is extended based on background and drug tests and not before?
If your age and gender is supposed to be private--they already have everything they need to know from this application. It makes me furious.
Enough to keep my wife from kicking me out the house.......
"How much have you got?"
You never ask the prospective employer a sarcastic question.......
I've never been asked to take one, but I would also decline. If a potential employer is that dense that they can't get a feel for my personality in an interview then forget it.
The salary requirements question is simply designed to screen applicants out and there is no right answer. If your requirements are too high, your resume gets filed - if they are too low, HR assumes you are not qualified...and your resume gets filed. If you guess right, your resume goes into a pile of potential interviewees - and gets filed anyway when the hiring manager decides to bring on a friend of someone he met at the last conference because he "knows the guy" and its easier than interviewing strangers who might have personality defects. Either way, the hiring manager is unlikely to even learn of your existence when your first contact is HR.
For a sales position, if your answer is too low, they might speculate that your motivation to over-achieve might be limited.
In sales, shoot for the moon with this answer, they will perceive you as being driven.
powder..patch..ball Fire!
I would expect with my experience and track record that I should be in the upper percentile for employees with the job description we are discussing.
Do some investigation as to what is the current pay being offered for similar positions at other companies. Then say, "Probably no less than $XXX, but I'm going to consider all offers before accepting the best one."
1) I have nothing to hide.
2) If I don't sign it they'll think I'm hiding something and that puts up a red flag to them and they'll move on to the next candidate.
HR types always got around the age thing by looking at the dates you graduated HS and College.
Tell them what you expect. Why waste your time and theirs if you need more than they're willing to pay? Don't play games and dance around the subject. And as for the personality testing...if you're looking to work for a middle sized to a large company you're going to be tested, especially if you're applying for a sales position. And as to filling out the application before the interview...before I invite anyone for an interview I've read their resume and have had at least 1 preliminary phone interview, if you're sitting in my conference room filling out an application you're probably someone I'm already interested in hiring.
Of course it's easy for me to say that since I've already retired three times!
If I can't tell your gender by looking at you I'm not hiring you. Sorry, but all those "it's Pat" jokes can tear an office apart...
all those "it's Pat" jokes
What are Its Pat jokes?
Hey--I like all these responses!
(LOL) Ask a supid question..... you know the rest
Human resources people are about the most ridiculously silly people I have ever dealt with--mindless robots
I agree
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