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Hi All, I'm new to the group and had a question about communicating salary expectations during the interview process.
I've done my research on typical pay for my location, years of experience, skillset, and role. I've found that there is a wide band of salaries offered depending on the company for the same qualifications.
I'd like to be respectful of everyone's time (team/manager included) and learn what the salary range is earlier on in the process. I'm looking to avoid salary surprises after a 6-7 hour time investment in an interview required for my role. Do you have suggestions on approaching this with a recruiter?
User deleted comment on 08/29/21 at 9:37PM UTC
Chelsea J.Senior Software Engineer, Frontend
203
08/28/21 at 6:45PM UTC
Thank you all for the suggestions and the great conversations here. I think I have solid suggestions on wording, responses, etc. that I will definitely use for approaching the recruiting screening. Thank you very much for helping me voice and advocate for my worth! ??
Chelsea J.Senior Software Engineer, Frontend
203
08/29/21 at 9:38PM UTC
*typo: Thank you very much for helping me voice and advocate for my worth!
Barb HansenStartup Product, Growth & Strategy
9.66k
08/27/21 at 3:19AM UTC
Just ask.
Ask during your first interview with a recruiter. "What is the salary range?"
And as mentioned by @Joan_Williams in the comment immediately below "What is the target?"
If the recruiter mentions a benefit package ("the range of this position is $XX - $XXX + benefits"), I always follow up with what's normally included in the benefits package (healthcare, vacation time, WFM, and educational, gym, public transportation and parking reimbursement.
At this point in time you are not negotiating a benefits package, but it's always good to know what could be included.
Some first round interview recruiters may not be able to answer the benefits question but there is no harm in asking.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
21.99k
08/27/21 at 12:35AM UTC
You ask them.
You say "what's the salary range for this position?" Then you ask them what the target is. These are not the same thing.
Say the salary range is $80k to $120k. HR almost never lets an offer go out above the mid-point of the salary range - so $100k. The target might be 95K.
I always bring comp up in my first conversation with candidates. Personally, I think the earlier in the process you talk about comp, the less of a big deal it is.
Käte DavisThe life coach for women who work.
269
08/27/21 at 3:57PM UTC
I 1000% agree with this! I ALWAYS ask the recruiter right off, and I usually say something like, "Can you tell me the salary target for this position, because I don't want to waste my time or yours if this isn't going to be a fit." The end. Recruiters get paid to find a person. If you're not the person, they don't want to waste their time either.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
21.99k
08/27/21 at 5:42PM UTC
EXACTLY!
Joanne Van VrankenUX Research Participant Recruiter in New York
136
08/27/21 at 1:31PM UTC
This is a very interesting thread because for years we've had it beaten into our heads NOT to bring this up in the first interview because then it looks like that's all your interested in. May I ask what the reaction as been?
Leslie WoodHead of People for fast-growing start up
275
08/28/21 at 3:19PM UTC
I believe you mean the reaction candidate's have received from hiring managers and recruiters, correct Joanne?
This definitely used to be the norm, but the hiring process has changed in many ways over the years. While this advice may be outdated overall, this is a situation of knowing your audience - companies with talent acquisition teams or outside recruiters who are calling you to speak to you as a fit for a position should have no issues discussing salary up front. However, I do still find that some smaller or more "old fashioned" companies, who may not be using recruiter and the hiring managers are doing the first interviews, can be going off the same old advice. It's unfortunate, because it can definitely waste everyone's time to not be upfront about salary.
Chelsea J.Senior Software Engineer, Frontend
203
08/27/21 at 7:12PM UTC
One reaction I got was the recruiter asking me "What's your current salary?" when I asked about the salary range. It's illegal in my state (WA) to ask a candidate about their current salary because of the Equal Pay & Opportunities Act, so I was surprised that was the initial response.
Leslie WoodHead of People for fast-growing start up
275
08/28/21 at 3:09PM UTC
I would answer that by giving the target compensation you are looking for, not your current salary, and say "I'm looking in the range of X-Y, based on the position details we've reviewed so far ".
Is it possible the recruiter was not from a TA team? In some companies, a hiring manager decides to do the initial screening themselves and asks questions they are not allowed, despite the training we give them. Regardless, if that person were to ask your salary a second time, I would be totally comfortable reminding them that a candidate's current salary is now considered confidential
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
21.99k
08/27/21 at 5:56PM UTC
I mean to add, candidates don't have to stress about asking me about the comp, I always ask them.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
21.99k
08/27/21 at 5:52PM UTC
The reaction from who? The candidates?
I ask them what they're looking for for compensation and they tell me. This is seriously not a big deal.
A lot of times, I have to set their expectations more realistically and let them know that that is not in our salary range. That we're looking more in the XXX range - is that something they can work with? If not, that's ok too.
Occasionally, I get to say "I think we can do better" than what they're asking for.
This happens in my initial conversation with the candidate - I'm not interested in wasting my time, their time and certainly not the hiring manager's time with a candidate looking for $150k when my position tops out at $120k.
After this initial conversation, if it looks like they could be a fit and the candidate is interested, I schedule them for a full screening.
Stephanie Mansueto, Corporate Recruiter & Job Hunting CoachRecruiter & Job Hunting Coach for Millennials
499
08/27/21 at 4:31PM UTC
As Kate said, the initial call with a Recruiter is just a screening; it's not a real interview although this depends on the employer, but generally speaking, you should ask the Recruiter for a salary range during that initial call.
Käte DavisThe life coach for women who work.
269
08/27/21 at 3:58PM UTC
I don't consider the conversation with the recruiter to be an interview. It's a screening process.
Stephanie Mansueto, Corporate Recruiter & Job Hunting CoachRecruiter & Job Hunting Coach for Millennials
499
08/26/21 at 9:45PM UTC
Simply ask what is the range for the position AND what is the budget? Those are sometimes very different numbers. If your desired or current salary is over the range you can mention that and get their reaction as often times companies are willing to consider good candidates with higher than normal salary expectations. When they give you the range, if you're happy with it, you can simply say, "that works for me" OR if you are already currently earning or want something on the higher end of the range you can let the Recruiter know that so they have a head's up going into salary negotiations. I'm a corporate recruiter and I'm actually very surprised when candidates don't ask for the salary range before getting off the phone.
Pallavi TProgram Manager
33
08/28/21 at 6:21PM UTC
Hi Stephanie. I had a recruiter contacting me recently for a role which I had applied for. She asked me about my salary expectations. When I asked for the salary range and budget, she said she doesn't have one. I told her I would like to learn more about the role from the hiring manager prior to stating a salary range. She said "OK" and proceeded with the remainder of the screening questions. This is the second time this has happened to me. How would you handle a situation like this?
Stephanie Mansueto, Corporate Recruiter & Job Hunting CoachRecruiter & Job Hunting Coach for Millennials
499
08/28/21 at 6:50PM UTC
I'd say "Ok, is that something you can follow-up on as I'm really interested in this position but want to make sure our salary expectations are in alignment before going through the whole interview process." If this is something that is brought up at the beginning of the call, I would say "I'm happy to answer any other questions you have about my experience in the meant time," so that you feel you like you gave enough info to the recruiter or hiring manager for them to want to follow-up with you. It's a two way street - you answer their questions, but they should answer some of your basic questions too. They should be able to follow-up with the Hiring Manager and get that info for you with a few days if they're really interested. If they're not willing to give you ANY salary information even after giving them a few days to get back to you with that info, I'd say pass. That would be a red flag for me.
