How big salary to ask for in a job interview?

When we are looking for work, we want the salary to be as high as possible. However, how big salary to ask in the job interviews so that we would not ask for too small salary, but at the same time we would not “scare off” the potential employer?

Many young professionals estimate the salary for such as a principle: “I have the following needs, so I will ask for high salary.” Such an approach is absolutely wrong.

In fact, employers have a buyer’s role in the labor market, but you have to make a proper effort to sell yourself very profitably. For this very reason, it is important split infinitive your price. How to do that?

If you already have some experience, then you already know your “” value,” so that the question about the salary of the potential would not surprise you unprepared. Just like that, you should have already prepared CV, so that when on the horizon appears a potential employer, you might send it as soon as possible.

From time to time, for example, every half-year, you should compare your salary with the labor market, namely, you should know about the existing salary levels.

First of all, you should collect as much information as possible about the salaries. Then these data should be analyzed. At the same time, it is important to use all the available sources, and they are:

- Employers’ advertisements and questionnaires of job seekers in the job advertisement’s sites;

- Employers’ advertisements and job seekers mini CV editions, where vacancies are published;

- Advertisements in employment agency sites;

- Portals – “salary measures”;

- Special sites where employees anonymously tell their salaries;

- Forums and professional associations related to the work;

- Made studies in the labor market and published data.

Because not in every job advertisement or job search from the salary level is mentioned, then it means that you will have to review a large amount of information.

In the information analysis stage, you should abandon the maximum and minimum options, because you need to find the most suitable options for you searched position or job seekers` questionnaire, and then calculate the average arithmetic mean. At the same time, take into account that the salaries in job seekers questionnaires tend to be higher than the average, while in the employers’ advertisement’s salaries are below the average, and not all data are correct.

It would be preferable, of course, if it is possible, to use as informers, your colleagues who work in this sector, and well-known employees in Human Resources department, data from recruitment agencies and other sources.

In addition, you can stick to the principle: to require a salary which is about one-third higher than what you get right now. Without a doubt, this is only possible in case you work, and new workplace is about equal to your current job and has no significant differences in the development of career, social guarantees in terms of volume and so on. If in the new job you have many great bonuses, you can accept a slightly lower salary than you receive now.

And finally, as another orientates for determining your “value” – the salary level can help, which the potential employers will offer to you (employers who are not willing to pay its employees an average normal market salary is not taken into account). You just have to be able to turn the situation that the employers name the salary level first. If these numbers are equal or exceed your calculated “price” (under a condition that you have calculated everything correct), then we whole heartedly congratulate you!

We wish you a good salary and a successful career!