Learn about the essential questions to ask about salary to ensure you have a clear understanding of the compensation being offered.
No interview goes by without a “salary” question. But sometimes it’s unclear what amount to ask for and what to do if your salary expectations differ from reality. And in general, talking to a future employer about money can be difficult. We talked with HR expert Natalia Moiseyeva and learned how to discuss salary.
Why We Feel Awkward Discussing Salary with a Recruiter
I work with different clients: those in their twenties and those over forty. And the former are more relaxed about money, often know how much they want, and formulate their requests more clearly.
The question about money is always about psychological attitudes. Usually they come from childhood, from our parents and grandparents, who grew up in Soviet times. Back then, everyone was more or less equal in terms of salary, and there was no need to talk about money. In addition, there was a collective culture where people worked for the sake of an idea (read: a communist future), and not for the sake of money.
There is also a psychosocial model called spiral dynamics. According to this model, any corporate culture can be broken down into different levels. It has a “family level” — one of the lowest. In companies where the corporate culture can be described with the phrase “we are a family,” it is often not accepted to talk about money at all. Negotiating salaries there can be difficult. In such companies, it seems that they work not for the money, but for a common global goal. Employees are often asked to stay late in the office, work on weekends — without extra pay. It is not surprising that in such conditions it can be embarrassing to talk about salary. A person thinks something like this: “Everyone here is talking about the sublime, and I am the only one talking about money. It turns out that I am some kind of mercantile.”
Of course, attitudes are something that needs to be worked through. Analyze who “gave” you these attitudes and how you can change them. When you do this, talking about money will become much easier.
Why salary is often not indicated in job descriptions
As a candidate, I agree that the lack of specifics is terribly annoying. On the other hand, this is the norm of the market. If you ignore vacancies without indicating the salary, then you will have practically nothing left. In addition, all the large companies and corporations that people usually dream of getting into never indicate the money.
Why shouldn’t this be off-putting? Until recently, there were many more vacancies where the salary was specified. But the market has been very unstable for obvious reasons in the last few years. It has become more difficult for employers to find employees, there is a shortage of personnel, and the demographic gap is growing. Therefore, the employer has removed money from vacancies and focused on the candidate’s profile, that is, the qualities and skills that he or she should ideally have. The employer publishes the profile, analyzes the responses and sees what can be chosen from them now. That is, despite the turbulence of the market, there is room for flexibility in hiring. The employer can select employees for himself or herself and meet his or her needs. The candidate, in turn, has the opportunity to negotiate with him or her. Discuss projects, responsibilities, the company’s capabilities and the candidate’s capabilities, money and find compromises. Previously, when the salary was clearly stated in the vacancy, the employer was less willing to negotiate.
Should I include salary expectations in my resume?
It is worth indicating the desired income if it is higher than the market average. Let’s say you understand what salary level specialists in your field can have. But you want more because you have some unique experience. Or this is your usual comfort level, you previously worked in a company with a high salary and are not ready to “go down”. In this case, by writing down the salary in your resume, you filter out those who do not meet your expectations.
If you don’t know how much it ‘s worth, or your salary expectations are in line with the market, I would advise you not to specify the amount. This way you will have room to maneuver. For example, if you write 150 thousand in your resume, and the employer is ready to pay a person for this position 220 thousand, he will never offer you this. Therefore, it is better to find out how much they are ready to offer in direct communication with the recruiter and act according to the situation. You will probably be able to raise your salary level.
What is a salary fork?
A salary range is the range between the minimum and maximum salary for a particular position.
There is a great exercise to form a fork. Calculate your personal “minimum”: rent, clothes, food, travel, etc. This is the level below which you cannot “go down”. Then calculate the level that is comfortable for you: add hobbies, entertainment, travel, education to the minimum. And your fork should start from this comfortable amount. It would be great if you could calculate the next level: usually it is thirty to forty percent. Actually, the fork is the interval between the comfortable amount and the high bar. With it, we move towards the employer.
The fork saves a lot of time during the initial contact with the recruiter. For example, you are called because your resume has interested them. This is the time to outline your expectations and name an acceptable salary range. If it matches the recruiter’s expectations, you are invited to an interview.
Keeping the fork in mind, during the interview we discuss the tasks, projects and resources that the employer can offer us. Based on this, we understand: would we be comfortable doing this for such an amount or not. This is not always the minimum or maximum of the fork. Here we return to the thesis about flexibility. And on the employer’s side too. Talking to the candidate, the employer understands what tasks and what money he is ready to offer. For example, the employer invites a person to one vacancy, but after the interview comes to the conclusion that the candidate is more suitable for another.
Why the advice to tell a recruiter an amount 15-20% higher than your previous salary doesn’t always work
Indeed, you will often see such a recommendation on recruiting portals. And if you have no idea what salary to ask for, then perhaps it is not bad.
Why do they advise to “add fifteen percent”? So that the person has motivation. Going to interviews, getting used to a new team – all this should be for something. The simplest and most understandable incentive is money. And five years ago, it really was the main incentive. But in the last two or three years, there has been a shift. Work for people is no longer just about money. They want their work to reflect them, to be proud of it, and for the team to be on the same page with them. They think more about their values and correlate them with the company’s values. The material aspect is, of course, important, but it is gradually fading into the background. Therefore, today the principle of “just adding a percentage” is not quite working. People are guided by what they expect from an employer besides money.
It’s also important to understand whether you’re staying in your current role or doing something different in your new position. I work a lot with clients who move between companies in a non-linear way. For example, a copywriter gets tired of being a copywriter, learns his strengths, and tries something new. In such cases, adding a percentage is also not a very good move.
How to understand how much specialists in my field earn on average
The market is constantly changing, so I recommend using several tools.
-
Open recruiting platform websites . First, look at the salary offered by employers in your market segment. There are few vacancies with the specified salary range, but they exist. This will help you draw basic conclusions.
-
Talk to friends and acquaintances who work in the field you are interested in. This information is invaluable, because sometimes recruiting portals list one amount, but in reality it may be different. It will also come in handy if you are targeting large companies, which, as we remember, usually do not indicate salaries in vacancies.
-
Look for research on the salary market. There are companies in the marketing and digital industries that measure what is happening with the market once a quarter. Not all areas have such quarterly measurements, so you can look at others. The main thing is that they are not older than six months. Such research is usually openly available on the Internet, you do not need to buy it.
-
Conduct “field reconnaissance”. Go to interviews and see what employers offer. Sometimes, even without a clear goal to change jobs, people post their resumes on recruiting platforms and honestly tell employers that they are not actively looking. After going to several interviews, they form a picture for themselves: what is happening with the market and how much they are willing to pay. “Field” research is more labor-intensive, but it helps keep your finger on the pulse.
What to do if it turns out that I asked for too high a salary
“Move over”
For example, a candidate really likes the company and is ready for a reduction. As a rule, we are talking about 10-15 thousand. It is clear that if they offer to cut income by 30-40 thousand, many are unlikely to be ready for this, no matter how cool the company is. Therefore, you need to correlate the offer to “move” with that very fork. See how critical it will be for a comfortable salary level.
When considering whether you are ready to make concessions, it is worth considering what additional motivation you may be offered in addition to your salary – voluntary health insurance, sports, food. These are also company expenses that can be mentally converted into money. For example, you are counting on 150 thousand. And there is a company that is ready to pay you 160 thousand, and there is one that offers 150 thousand and payment for fitness and something else. If you calculate all this, then the actual salary in the second case will be higher, because you will not be paying for fitness out of your pocket.
Stand one’s ground
It also happens that during the interview you understand that you are not ready to “move”. You know your strengths, you have experience and successful cases, so you “worth ” more. Usually, those who cannot evaluate themselves and do not understand what they are strong in are easier to “move”. Those who have done this work (it does not matter, independently, with a career consultant or psychotherapist) have a much higher level of self-worth. They enter negotiations: “Look, I have a strong point, I will be useful to you in this and that. Therefore, I consider the amount relevant”. In a word, self-worth is the basis for defending the desired salary level.
Look for compromises
Perhaps you will agree to reduce the amount, but at the same time agree to remove some tasks from your responsibilities. Don’t be afraid of negotiations. In my experience, recruiters now react well to the offer to look for solutions that would suit both parties. In addition, if during the initial communication you said that you have exactly this range, there is definitely a chance to bargain.