"what kind of compensation you would be looking for"

[G3N3R4L]

I really hate this question. I really do.


I tried googling the job, but either the wages arent posted, or they vary from 40K to 120K a year.

What is an acceptable answer?


"What you feel is appropriate" is just like me saying "I have no idea what Im doing" IMHO

Shooting too high.. "60K a year please." will scare off the offer.

Too low.. "30K a year" will allow them to lowball me if they would have paid 50K.


Is there a rule to follow here? some kind of guide? Advice is totally appreciated.

[impure]

if you say lower than they're willing to pay then they will think that's all you think you're capable of.
i think i was told once that it's fair to ask for higher.
i think it's a question of self confidence/value

[Gusto]

totally depends on the job, but slightly higher than your last one might be appropriate.

[G3N3R4L]

So is it essentially a test?


As long as you dont ask for 100K as an entry level salary? Just don't be meek about the answer?


"what you think is fair is fine by me"?



edit** - when giving the amount. stick with a solid number "45K" or give a small range? "40-45K"



.

[Ryan Ross]

Its really tough to find the right answer for that question, I think it really depends on the type of company that youre interviewing with. Usually if its a bigger company they will have a standard wage range that they will give for each position (which is usually appropriate market value), so they wont try to haggle too much. But if its a smaller company they may just try to pay you as little as possible, so thats where you have to be careful about what you say...

In general if you're interviewing with a company that you feel has a good reputation then you can feel comfortable saying "I expect that you will offer fair market value for the work that I will be doing". That way you dont tell them youll be willing to work for less than they were going to offer, and if they do try to lowball you then just tell them you arent impressed with the offer and dont take it. They would then raise the offer or hire someone else for cheaper (in which case, they were willing to pay you fair market value so you wont want to work there anyway).

So thats what I would usually do, but its also important to know a ballpark going in incase they do press you for a number. If the job ranges for 40k 120k you have to figure out what makes up for such a huge gap, which is usually experience. Im guessing you arent too experienced in the field (or you would know what about to expect), so shoot for a bit higher than the bottom range (unless you feel you offer something thats worth more than that).

[wishbone]

I recently applied for a job that asked that question....they were probably expecting maye 11-12 an hour, but i asked for 15-20 due to being overqualified for the position (sales rep for a printing shop....on top of sales and customer service experience, i currently do tech support for huge printers so if one of theirs breaks down, i could order parts and repair it myself, saving them a thousand bucks or so on an actual technician).

They never contacted me back, so they probably don't care about my overqualifications....but we'd be wasting each others time if I followed through on a cheaper wage offer.

Ask what you want out of it....what the job is worth to YOU.

[sNyx]

Look at your barebone cost of living (bills, food, transport, ect) then add 50% of that to get a general lowball figure to go no lower then. Then add another 25-35% and pitch it to them.

[dabbler]

answer negotiable and make them say they want to hire you first. then tell them a price

[Leviathan]

what type of position is it?

[Lush]

Whenever that question comes up I put 'negotiable'

[SEAN!]

tell them you're willing to consider their best offer, then the ball is in their court

[stephen_c]

ask for industry avg + 20% to 25%

[G3N3R4L]

Originally Posted by Leviathan

what type of position is it?

It's a QA Analyst position, basically creating and testing a web based customer booking app. and site.

[j3rk]

Originally Posted by G3N3R4L

It's a QA Analyst position, basically creating and testing a web based customer booking app. and site.

$40,000

I wouldn't take any less than 36k and I wouldn't expect them to pay you more than 45k.

[G3N3R4L]

^^ Ok. Thanks! At least I know I am in the right ball park. i figured 45 was around where i was gonna quote.


Thanks for all your insights.. most helpful!

[j3rk]

No problem. It really all depends on how much experience you have. Each year i work in the industry i believe I command a 2000 raise. If you have a lot of experience 45k is not unreasonable, so you might want to ask for more.

They really get us tech people on the cheap since everyone and their monkey wants to be in IT.