Specifying desired salary

[Imdmn04]

If you gonna put a number down, put a BIG number down.

I was asked for expected salary for a job that I wasn't all that interested in, so I threw out some wild number that was 45 percent above my pay at the time, just to see if they bite.
I figured, if they can really offer that number, I would actually take the job because it would be too good of an offer to refuse.
Turned out that I aced the interview and was offered the job the day after, needless to say I took it.

Notice in this process I have never given out the "current salary" I made at the time, NEVER give this number out. They pressed several times for it in the phone interviews, I gracefully declined to disclose. After the real interview, they didn't even bother to ask for it again because they felt I was worth the amount I asked. Had they known what I made previously, they would have never offered a salary with a 45% raise.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: thepd7

Originally posted by: JS80
Most companies operate on budgets and budgeted positions. It behooves you to put "market" and try to find out what their target budget is.

Disagreed. Don't put anything, put negotiable, don't put market. That implies you are worth what everyone else is worth. If they think you are jus tlike everyone else why should they hire you?

The amount they offer you means more than just money. I (as a 22 year old in TX) could live very comfortably on $40k a year, but in my field I shouldn't accept anything less than $55k. It is indicative of your value to the company and how they will treat you the whole time you are there.

You want to be exceptional, not normal. You want to be worth more (and prove you are), not worth what everyone else is paid.

what's the difference negotiable/market?

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: thepd7

Originally posted by: JS80
Most companies operate on budgets and budgeted positions. It behooves you to put "market" and try to find out what their target budget is.

Disagreed. Don't put anything, put negotiable, don't put market. That implies you are worth what everyone else is worth. If they think you are jus tlike everyone else why should they hire you?

The amount they offer you means more than just money. I (as a 22 year old in TX) could live very comfortably on $40k a year, but in my field I shouldn't accept anything less than $55k. It is indicative of your value to the company and how they will treat you the whole time you are there.

You want to be exceptional, not normal. You want to be worth more (and prove you are), not worth what everyone else is paid.

what's the difference negotiable/market?

Market implies you are average, normal, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to see here folks, this guy is just worth market, standard.

You want to impress upon them that you are worth more, even if they don't end up paying you more you have still made your point.

Negotiable means we will talk about it later, market means I'll take average pay for my exp/position.