Stuck on the salary question!

Anonymous

April 30,2022 at 4:40AM UTC

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Stuck on the salary question! Before interviews or submitting a job application, I do my research. I'm applying for Marketing Director positions and I'm seeing salary ranges between 60-250K. Depending on the size of the company and location, I've even seen salaries listed between 35-$50K.

I'm at a loss and I don't know how to answer this question. I try to turn the tables on recruiters during an interview and request a range. That helps during a call but when filling out a job application and it's a required field, I shoot for an educated guess based on comps.

I feel that leaving the salary listed as a depending on experience wastes both the interviewer's and applicant's time. I'm debating to start applying for only positions that list a range that I would feel comfortable accepting if offered the position. I've used Glassdoor, Indeed and other websites to try to get a ballpark figure but I feel like I'm striking out in filling in this field!

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AnonymousApril 30,2022 at 9:28AM UTC
I think you need to determine the salary you need and go with that. Sure, it may mean some recruiters won’t reach out to you, but no one is wasting his or her time.
I now work for a company that I love, but normally would not have paid me my salary requirement for the position I’m in. My skills and experience were a perfect match, so a decision was made to place me at a higher level with a little more responsibility for my role and we negotiated the rate. I’m at a little lower than what I originally specified, however, there is room for growth in this company and I fully subscribe to the company culture and love the products we work on. I’m happy going to work!
If I hadn’t specified a range at the beginning, I don’t think this would have gone the same way. The managers I interviewed with knew my expectations and we were able to have an open discussion that ended with everyone being happy.
AnonymousApril 30,2022 at 6:47PM UTC
Thank you, Anonymous. I appreciate your side of the situation. I'm ready for a change and I'm hoping to find the right position. For each position, I have a number in mind but I'm flexible if it's the right position. My problem is that the range for this level is so widespread that while I'm targeting 100-130K but I realize in certain companies and industries it's a lower and higher number.
AnonymousApril 30,2022 at 10:01PM UTC
For companies you are interested in do more research to learn about the career track. For example, even if the starting salary is not exactly what you want, the company could be performance based where if you demonstrate potential, could lead to a significant pay increase within 2-3 years. Sometimes a big range is based on years of experience. If you have 3 years but your competition has 20 yrs, that could explain why a low offer would be made. But after you start if you perform at a level as someone that has 20yrs, they may very well offer you that pay increase you are looking for. Ask the upfront questions during interviews. And look at linked in profiles of folks that work at the company to see how they progress in similar roles for key indicators and insight
Debra SesholtzMay 1,2022 at 2:29PM UTC
I would suggest you be true to yourself when applying for any position and put a salary you actually want and not an educated guess based on the comps. Having applied for numerous Marketing Director roles, I wouldn’t worry so much about the wide salary ranges published. They could be based on location, differing job descriptions, company size, and any other number of factors. Apply for positions at companies you think you would like working for, you think are a good fit for your skill set, and roles with room for growth. First, know what you bring to the table, your worth, and what you’re willing to accept. It sounds like you’ve done this. When talking with recruiters, alway try to get them to give you their salary range first before you tip your hand. Sound like you’ve been doing this too. I personally try not to provide a salary expectation on an application. Some online applications won’t let you apply if you don’t answer this, so it’s up to you if you want to provide an answer. You should put a number that would be acceptable to you. If you are really interested in working for a company, once they’ve given you a salary range for the role, if it’s not what you think you’re worth, say you were looking for something more based on what you bring. If you are outside their allocated budget, they’ll let you know they can’t afford you. Then you can decide if you’re willing to move forward. If the company is all about the salary before they even interview you, then you may want to evaluate if it will be a good fit. You may be surprised at a company’s willingness to negotiate for the right person. I would suggest not just apply to jobs that publish a salary range. This is a screening tool and you may be missing a good opportunity by limiting yourself. Good luck finding the right role!
AnonymousMay 3,2022 at 10:11PM UTC
Thank you, Debra. I appreciated your advice.
Maegan, Nike Sales Rep & Career CoachMay 3,2022 at 6:50PM UTC
You could try putting in "negotiable" so you do not feel tied to a number, or .. don't worry over it. Just put in a number and discuss it during the interview. You are never married to it, and can always (and should) still ask for the salary range, and then say your proposed salary based on the role and responsibilities. Try not to overthink it !
AnonymousMay 3,2022 at 10:10PM UTC
Thank you and I'm overthinking as I've been on the other end of the application process. When there's a limit, HR told us we weren't allowed to go over that amount. We were to dismiss good candidates that were requesting too much in favor of those in our range.
My difficulty is the applications that don't allow a range, verbiage but require an exact amount to submit an application. Some positions actually advertise an 100K spread and if it's that different in pay, there should be too positions.
I'm also job searching from a smaller area to a big city and those salary ranges are drastically different. I feel that I need to research before submitting an application. It's a bit daunting!