Help please, especially from HR people - salary question.

[seaglass]

I need a job badly and have an HR person that sent me an email wanting to set up an interview. She asked me what my salary expectations are and I told her I didn't have a specific requirement and that I was sure we could come to an agreement which was fair.

Not a good answer. I just got another email and she needs numbers, either salary history or a range before she can proceed.

I can give her my last salary and in reality I will accept at the most 18,000/yr less than that but I don't want to undercut myself by giving her a range. I also don't want to price myself out of a job by just sending my last salary with no comment.

Any suggestions?

[MissMillie]

1. I would send a range

but also state that this is not an anchor from which to start negotiations.

[seaglass]

3. I think you're right. My husband just got home and I asked him

and he agrees with you. Thanks.

[RebelOne]

2. Let her know your last salary, but say

your salary for this job is negotiable.

[seaglass]

5. Oh geez, I just told Miss Millie she was right and I think you're

right too. How can that be? :-)

[MissMillie]

14. We can both be right

if your current salary is w/i the range you would give. :)

[ohiosmith]

4. Determine the rage for the position. Salary.com is pretty accurate.

Tell her that you would expect to be compensated within the market range for the position and you understand that to be....

[seaglass]

12. Thank you, the position is kind of niche but I did check what I

thought was the closest on salary.com

[dpbrown]

16. That's the answer I was going to give

Find an equivalent on Salary.com and go from there.

[mdmc]

6. this is simple

give a range.

If you need the job, or really want the job, give a range that includes the lower numbers.

If you don't want the job, give a higher range.

The trick to negotiating is to never accept the job until all of the details are spelled out. It is the greatest thing in the world to be offered a job, and then to politely negotiate a better package.

I have found that most people that do the hiring, find a candidate, then try to bring them on board. Once you "are the one that they want to bring on board" you can negotiate.

I once interviewed a girl that my boss really wanted to hire. She basically accepted the position, then, when the salary discussion began, informed us that she would be unable to join our staff at such a low salary. We offered her more, and she accepted. She then informed us that when she put in her notice, her current employer offered her a better package to remain.

We couldn't offer any more cash. She explained that she really wanted to join our staff. We ended up offering her a paid lunch hour (which she never took, she never took a lunch break), and two additional weeks of flex time.

She did a great job negotiating her salary.

[seaglass]

9. Yes, there are a lot of thoughts going into this. I'm at a

disadvantage because I haven't worked in 5 years and have had a hard time finding employment (I have been doing very targeted searches in one particular industry, in a small range of positions). On the other hand, the commute will be longer than any I have had before so it needs to be worth my while (and my family's). Lastly though, we need money and even the lowest salary is better than 0.

Thanks for your story, hopefully it will get to the point that they really want me.

[mdmc]

18. good luck and God bless

peace!

[DrGonzoLives]

7. My guideline

Figure out how much you would need to live, roughly, within 15 miles of the place of business, use that as a minimum, then add 25% or so to create a maximum. You also really do not want to put a minimum salary requirement that is less than your last job.

[seaglass]

10. It is a lower position though and I recognize that, plus it is a lot

smaller company - that is why my salary expectations are lower.

Your calculations are probably correct but I have been having difficulty finding a job and lots of fears about letting this one get away (though after my last experience I am keeping expectations to a minimum).

[lukasahero]

8. Go to salary.com

Type in the job title and your area and you'll get a range of salaries the position pays. Stick to within that range (based on experience) and you should be ok.

[seaglass]

13. Thanks. I couldn't find an exact match but I think I at least got

ballpark.

[seaglass]

11. Thank you everyone for your advice. I sent a range and the

bottom line is if the lowest is too high then it's not the job for me. We'll see what happens I guess.

[Blue_Tires]

15. ttt n/t

[hfojvt]

17. I would not accept $18,000 less than my current pay

$2.5 an hour is way below minimum wage.