Salary requirements

LisaB85

Why do employers ask for this on the application form or during interview?
What is the best way to answer?

Hammyman

Look at what the going rate is in the area. For the employers, its a way of getting someone for not a lot of money.

claire16c

We used to ask this at my old company. It was not to get someone for not a lot of money!

It was to purely check that they were not asking for something unrealistic. The pay was already set to within about 1k, so even if they said 3k under, they still would have been paid the going rate, we wouldnt have lowered it. And if they wanted a load more, they still would have got offered the set rate.

CapJ

I agree with claire. This was always very important to me. People who wanted way over what I was allowed to pay weren't worth taking forward (unless they indicated they were prepared to lower it).

Look at the market around as others say. Try to quote towards the top end of the market (as long as not ridiculous given your experience). Always remember when negotiating it isn't just the salary that counts but the total package; bonus, car, benefits, free shares, pension etc. If I saw someone with a salary a little over our target range I'd probably proceed

InsideInsurance

I wouldnt even take them if they were prepared to lower it.... if they think they are worth £X and your paying them <X then ultimately they are going to leave.

As to quoting top dollar, I am not sure I would necessarily do that either. What does the job advert say about the salary? Does it give a band? Are you going into the role thinking your an expert in this area already or is it going to be a bit of a stretch?

If the advert quotes rates then obviously make sure you quote somewhere close to those. With the last role I was recruiting for I was looking to pay between £30,000 and £50,000 as I was happy to take on a bright junior person willing to work up into the role or a seasoned hand who could hit the ground running. I certainly wouldnt (and didnt) like the junior people who were asking for top dollar and most of them were rejected before interview.

smileylondongal

Usually there's a salary range for any band of role and so they want to make sure that a) if you say you have got to a certain position that your salary substantiates that and b) that you and they are being realistic about what salary you might be offered if it got to that stage.

There are times when your salary won't reflect what you've done if you're going into another industry and that's when you have to fight your corner a bit.