

Ask HN: What's your salary expectation? - grover_hartmann

How do you respond this question when on a job interview?<p>How do you negotiate a good salary?
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joezydeco
I used to be in the "let them name a number first" camp, but now I think
differently. Unless you're looking for a first job you are probably already
employed. So...what number will make you jump? That's your number.

There was a very similar question on Metafilter just yesterday[1], and this
answer summed it up:

 _" Whenever I hear a candidate dither about specifying pay, I know they are
either extremely flexible about pay, don't know the market very well, or don't
value themselves very well. I know they will be willing to accept a lower
amount than I would otherwise be able to offer.

In other words, if you don't specify a number, I'll specify one for you - and
it'll be at the low end of what I can offer, not the high end. The highest
paid candidates are the ones that know their value and refuse to work for less
than their value. Most of those highest paid candidates are the ones that
don't even bother giving a range of pay and simply say, 'I will work for
$x'."_

And, if it turns out your number doesn't result in an interview, then you've
both saved a lot of time and a potentially huge dent to your salary curve.

So, as the above says, know your market and know your worth.

[1] [http://ask.metafilter.com/274907/Minimum-salary-
Really](http://ask.metafilter.com/274907/Minimum-salary-Really)

~~~
caw
What number will make you jump ship doesn't necessarily match your market
salary. If you're in a big-co and want to switch to a startup, you'll take a
salary hit. If you just want out of your job because it's dead-end or your
boss is a psychopath, any number may do.

Let's assume you want a market salary -- you can still know your market and
know your worth but let them name a number first.

The assumption is generally if an employer names a number first it's going to
be on the low end of their scale. Therefore, there is room up to negotiate to
get to your actual value.

Suppose hypothetically you know your worth to be $120K. You don't say
anything, and the employer comes out with $100K. You can negotiate for that
other $20K since you know what your worth is. If money isn't a factor
("extremely flexible about pay") or if they really can't pay you that much,
you can negotiate on secondary benefits like vacation time, reimbursements,
and travel/training budgets. Would you take $110K and $15K of benefits instead
of a $120K salary and $2K of benefits? Some people might.

Suppose you did say $120K, they can still try to price you down by price
anchoring you to their initial offer of $100K. They'll go into the benefits,
the intangibles, and the value of their benefits relative to the compensation
-- how the "catered daily lunch" is actually like $X of salary for example.
Maybe you go back and forth on negotiations and end somewhere around the first
scenario.

Another way this could go is you state your salary, and their lowest offer was
above yours. While it could be attributed to not knowing the market or valuing
yourselves, it could be because you don't know their salary bands. This
company either really wants you or just plain pays more than "market". If
they're thinking $130K and you say $120K, you'll lose out on $10K/year.

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jasonkester
Keep in mind that price anchoring works both ways. That's the reason why this
question is usually phrased as "how much did you make at your last job?",
which can only be used to anchor you to a low figure (or convince you to tell
a lie).

Naturally, defer salary negotiation until after they've decided they're going
to hire you. But then don't feel like you absolutely can't give a number. If
you do, give a nice high one.

"I expect my total compensation to be in the neighborhood of $250,000 a year."

Now you've framed the discussion in terms of why maybe you're not worth quite
that much, why the market rate for the position doesn't warrant paying that
much, and why the company doesn't really have that sort of budget for an
engineer. That's a much nicer conversation to be having than the one where
you're trying to explain why $70,000 isn't really the sort of bump you were
expecting from the $65,000 you were making at that entry level job your first
few years out of school.

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gitspirit
There is no universal answer, I usually take one of these routes:

* If time permits and this position is not on my 'do whatever it takes list' then I go bold and ask for more. If they accept - good, if not - not a problem. It worked for me quite well, and I managed to go above even the upper level of the official salary range.

* If I'm interested in the company then I don't ask myself and try to make them move first. A big advantage if there are other companies who are interested in you at the same time. Then just tell the upper figure in the job advert or try to find out how much the company is paying for similar positions. Hope they offer you the most they can, and then just accept.

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loumf
You can leave it blank in an application. In an interview, just say you are
looking for the right fit and you are sure we will be able to come to an
agreement if we want to work together.

The best case is that they just don't want to waste time by interviewing
people that are way out of their price range. If you think that may be the
case (you are way more expensive than they were thinking) then maybe signal a
price so you can save time.

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amirouche
What I think I can get while still being fair.

