Is there a magic number to tell potential employers when it comes to Salary? I m a PERL/ASP/JQuery/AJAX/XML programmer and SQL Database Administrator at my current job and have been doing this for the past 10 years. I was interviewing for a SQL Server Database Developer last week. They asked me what I was looking for I told them 75K and they were ok with it. I went to the interview and everything was going great until they asked me how much I m making at my current job which is something quite lower than that. They asked me how come I was looking to make a jump like that to which my response was that when I went to work for my company I had to enter as a data entry operator since computer programmers at the time weren’t getting any work. Later I went to work for IT in the same company but there is a rule that when moving to another dept you cannot get more than 20% raise so my job came to them about 50% cheaper than it usually should. As soon as I told them all this they became distant. I m not sure what should I say to questions like these. Any ideas?
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
there is a way around it...ONE word...when it comes to salary expectations...say it safely..."Negotiable!"
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
They asked me how come I was looking to make a jump like that
tell them that I am looking to make a jump specifically because I believe that I am underpaid at my job
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
I always wonder whether it’s okay to lie to a prospective employer about your current salary in hopes that the offer will be a sizable jump above your current salary? For a lot of people, their current salary is underpaying them - so the hoped for salary is merely an attempt to get fair compensation.
I’ll be honest, I can’t lie about my salary despite my wanting to. And it’s not because I don’t want to - it’s just that I’m a really bad liar 
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
No you cannot lie (well you should not) because when they make you fill out the employment form, you need to attach your latest pay stub from your latest job
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
^ No they don't - I've never had that happen to me. Is it an American thing?
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
^ No they don't - I've never had that happen to me. Is it an American thing?
I think I did it in lmy last 2 jobs. Its not a standard policy but it could happen so if you lied, you would be in some trouble.
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
Yeah, I think the fear of being found out to be a liar is why I can't lie. But, I have been asked how much I make and how much I expect to make and I had no qualms asking for a significant pay up using a whole bunch of reasons:
- more senior position
- new position has more responsibility/accountability
- I'm more experienced/qualified
- demonstrated results in previous position
- even location - one city versus another or even downtown versus suburb jobs will pay more.
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I never had to attach the pay stub for salary verification but lying to them doesn't seems like a good thing to do. I already have enough headache trying to proof my degrees from Pakistan as the system for verification doesn't work so I have to attach a letter from the school I m attending to get a masters here that I fulfilled all the obligations to be enrolled in the masters program.
I have explained to them I m underpaid at my job and gave them an explanation why, also pointed out the online research about the salary for someone with my skills and experience but the way they acted at that made me very uncomfortable.
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
Yeah, I think the fear of being found out to be a liar is why I can't lie. But, I have been asked how much I make and how much I expect to make and I had no qualms asking for a significant pay up using a whole bunch of reasons:
- more senior position
- new position has more responsibility/accountability
- I'm more experienced/qualified
- demonstrated results in previous position
- even location - one city versus another or even downtown versus suburb jobs will pay more.
True. Same here.
The problem with this job was that it had less responsibilities than my current job since we do everything for our application which includes everything for SDLC plus support.
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
there is a way around it...ONE word...when it comes to salary expectations...say it safely..."Negotiable!"
I usually do that but it doesnt work much when they are looking for a number and I m not ready to leave my current job without anything significant since I have been with this company for 11 years.
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
Have you done some calculations? I think that even 75K for a 10 years experienced DBA is a bit low.
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
Have you done some calculations? I think that even 75K for a 10 years experienced DBA is a bit low.
It is. That's why I thought they will jump at the opportunity. For the experience and skills it runs around 95K at the lowest.
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
It is. That's why I thought they will jump at the opportunity. For the experience and skills it runs around 95K at the lowest.
Why not shift the onus back to the prospective employer to tell you how much they think the position should be compensated at and why they think the salary is fair? Have they done market research to see whether they're paying in line with industry rates?
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
us1415, a word of advise, making a significant jump in salary , is near impossible I believe .. Most companies do not feel comfy , allowing someone to demand a significant high..
When i interview candidates , and if someone is underpaid by a few grand , its understandable .. and we still try to bring them on with a lot of negotiation.... its never easy ..
however when I interview a candidate , who is earning significantly lesser then the market rate and has been in the same company for a number of years or has many years of experience ... then that is a red flag for me .. why? .... because , either the individual is not an A player in his skill set ... or he/she doesnt have the motivation to progress ...
how many years of experience you have does not put you in a position to command salary ... the quality of experience does. I think you must realize that none of the companies will be ready to pay you a significant rise in salary ... you must try and remain flexible , try to find out what the budget for the role is .. and then try to focus on the higher end of that keeping in mind your own experience and its quality... But eventually you will have to accept the reality.
Another point to keep in mind, the process of getting into a higher salary band is slow, can take you to jump ships every 3-4 years to get to a good level... but that is your personal goal. if you will expect the company to give you a double fold increase in salary, then you come across as a very money minded person to the company and thats definitely not a healthy impression.
Thirdly, most employers think , if this person is really good value, we will give them a pay increase after a year when they have proved themselves .. its easier for employers to do that once you have proven yourself in the firm.
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
however when I interview a candidate , who is earning significantly lesser then the market rate and has been in the same company for a number of years or has many years of experience ... then that is a red flag for me .. why? .... because , either the individual is not an A player in his skill set ... or he/she doesnt have the motivation to progress ...
Those red flags are not always real. I was stuck in a low paying job for years, only because they were processing my Green Card so I could not leave them even if I wanted to.
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
us1415, a word of advise, making a significant jump in salary , is near impossible I believe .. Most companies do not feel comfy , allowing someone to demand a significant high..
When i interview candidates , and if someone is underpaid by a few grand , its understandable .. and we still try to bring them on with a lot of negotiation.... its never easy ..
however when I interview a candidate , who is earning significantly lesser then the market rate and has been in the same company for a number of years or has many years of experience ... then that is a red flag for me .. why? .... because , either the individual is not an A player in his skill set ... or he/she doesnt have the motivation to progress ...
how many years of experience you have does not put you in a position to command salary ... the quality of experience does. I think you must realize that none of the companies will be ready to pay you a significant rise in salary ... you must try and remain flexible , try to find out what the budget for the role is .. and then try to focus on the higher end of that keeping in mind your own experience and its quality... But eventually you will have to accept the reality.
Another point to keep in mind, the process of getting into a higher salary band is slow, can take you to jump ships every 3-4 years to get to a good level... but that is your personal goal. if you will expect the company to give you a double fold increase in salary, then you come across as a very money minded person to the company and thats definitely not a healthy impression.
Thirdly, most employers think , if this person is really good value, we will give them a pay increase after a year when they have proved themselves .. its easier for employers to do that once you have proven yourself in the firm.
Some good stuff. Thanks!
I have made a huge jump in my salary in the past but then had to leave the place since I wasnt too thrilled about the way they treated their employees and it was the makers of Budweiser so I wasn't too comfortable with the company anyways. Decided to leave them and come back to my old company in a new position with again a huge paycut.
The one question I have is on how can you determine the quality of someone's experience just by looking at the salary they are getting? Like I said in the very beginning the company I m with got lucky since the first job I had here was a data entry operator and moving to jobs within the company doesn't give you much bump since the limit on it is 20%. How can I tell the employer that even though I m not making much money, I have great quality experience?
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
true TLK .. as a human ,I too feel that those red flags are not always the individuals fault .. but as a corporate recruiter, its a risky and unjustifiable situation to bring someone onboard with more then a few grand increase from their current salary ... Its a competitive , fierce world of talent out there .. and every company wants the best talent at bargain rates ! Unless one is an established A player , most companies dont think from the heart making the salary decisions ...
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
Us1415, as a recruiter, I never make my decision based on someone's salary.. lets just say there is a perfect combination of different factors that makes a candidate perfect! ... for example if someone has worked for too long in a company , say 15 years , we normally dont feel inclined to hire them ! for reasons that they may not be as motivated or as acceptable to change etc ... similarly there are various criterion and the perfect balance of those variables that help us recruit the best talent.
how you let the employer know , is by preparing really well for the interview... give examples of your work , how you go about doing it , give clear and well constructed answers and examples ... alot of times we think we have done well in the interview .. but those sitting on the interivew panel who have just interviewed 5 people ... might think yours was average !
So be prepared to remain flexible .. if you believe in your skill , then jump onboard in a new company and give them your maximum best ... ask for a raise once your manager knows your skill.... I hope this makes sense...
Its less risky for a company to reward someone who has proven themselves , then to reward someone who is new and just stepping into the firm.
Some good stuff. Thanks!
I have made a huge jump in my salary in the past but then had to leave the place since I wasnt too thrilled about the way they treated their employees and it was the makers of Budweiser so I wasn't too comfortable with the company anyways. Decided to leave them and come back to my old company in a new position with again a huge paycut.
The one question I have is on how can you determine the quality of someone's experience just by looking at the salary they are getting? Like I said in the very beginning the company I m with got lucky since the first job I had here was a data entry operator and moving to jobs within the company doesn't give you much bump since the limit on it is 20%. How can I tell the employer that even though I m not making much money, I have great quality experience?
Re: Salary Question in Interview.
Us1415, as a recruiter, I never make my decision based on someone's salary.. lets just say there is a perfect combination of different factors that makes a candidate perfect! ... for example if someone has worked for too long in a company , say 15 years , we normally dont feel inclined to hire them ! for reasons that they may not be as motivated or as acceptable to change etc ... similarly there are various criterion and the perfect balance of those variables that help us recruit the best talent.
how you let the employer know , is by preparing really well for the interview... give examples of your work , how you go about doing it , give clear and well constructed answers and examples ... alot of times we think we have done well in the interview .. but those sitting on the interivew panel who have just interviewed 5 people ... might think yours was average !
So be prepared to remain flexible .. if you believe in your skill , then jump onboard in a new company and give them your maximum best ... ask for a raise once your manager knows your skill.... I hope this makes sense...
Its less risky for a company to reward someone who has proven themselves , then to reward someone who is new and just stepping into the firm.
Makes sense. Thank you.
I knew that the inteview had gone quite good since there were quite a few answers where the technical manager commended me. It went downhill right after the salary discussion. I think in the future I will say 75K and then say negotiable when someone asks on how much salary I m looking for. Would that work? I cant go for less because then they will think less of me since the market for the job is quite high. Does it make sense?