"How much $$$ do you make?"

[GiantRat]

@TriPolar

Salary should be discussed early on. It benefits both you and the company to know if there is a mismatch early in the process. So just tell them what you made before. If you are looking for more, gild the lily a little. Mention your salary, then bonuses, retirement contributions, other benefits. If you are too expensive for the market, round down the figure and leave out the perks. You can round up or down a little in either case, just say ‘about xxx thousand a year’.

If the company is looking for some specific amount, and you have made too much for that, there isn’t much you can do when you are still employed. Companies believe that you won’t be motivated to do a good job for less money. If you’ve been out of work for a while, they are more likely to disregard this. Employees who return to work after a long layoff may be grateful for an opportunity and work harder.

If the company isn’t limited in what to pay, then you have to justify your salary based on skills and experience. The first interview is very important for that. If you don’t impress them then as being worth the money you ask for, they won’t bother to look into the details.

Soooo… you’ve been working for the same firm for a long time, eh? Things have changed.

[TriPolar]

@GiantRat

Soooo… you’ve been working for the same firm for a long time, eh? Things have changed.

Didn’t get your point there. Been working for one company for three years, before that self-employed for many years (damn kids, I could have retired if they didn’t get into college;)). But I’ve been involved in placement and hiring of many people over the years. I don’t see any changes in recent times except for the plethora of older, experienced (and sometimes unrealistic) applicants.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

@msmith537

There seems to be some misconceptions here. It is perfectly acceptable to discuss salary right at the beginning of the interview process. I mean you don’t want to go through half a dozen interviews only to find out the position is half of what you made before.

This. It’s not a fucking date; get your expectations out front.

[Ring]

@GiantRat

Never given it any thought? Perhaps I’m just a hick who moved from nowhere to NYC, and then down to DC, but… damn - cost of living is important (DC area is sooo much cheaper); housing prices are less than half, it seems.

Anyway, not attacking you - I’m attacking the hordes who don’t understand cost of living differentials. Hell, my car insurance was reduced by 2/3 just for not living in NJ.

Not attacking me? Sure sounds like it. Did you miss where I said it’s not my decision to make?

As a point of interest, once people live on the west coast, they’ll either do anything to get back east, or no matter what you offer they won’t leave. Most are in the latter group.

[Rand_Rover]

@Broomstick

Um… I’m not and never have been a department head so your comparison falls flat right there.

Buh? I was talking in the abstract. It was just an example. Not sure why you think it was about you.

[Scuba_Ben]

@The_wind_of_my_soul

What’s wrong with saying that your salary expectations are higher than the salary you are currently getting?

The last time I was job-hunting, some years ago, I ran smack into a variation of this.

Q: What salary range are you looking for?
A: $XX,000, based on research for this position and my experience.
Q: Reasonable. Now what was your salary at your last position?
A: $YY,000.
Q: XX - YY is too large. No way we’d offer that kind of pay jump! GTFO!
A: :mad: