What's the Best Way to Handle a Request for Salary Requirements?

Applying for jobs requires you to have a professional resume and cover letter. When you respond to advertisements for employment you should make sure you follow the directions outlined by the employer. One of the things you may run across, which makes some people uncomfortable, is a request to include salary requirements. There is a proper way to respond so that your resume is one that will be considered. You have to have a strategy. Some experts feel you can ignore the request if have the credentials and qualifications for the job.

Find out what the position you are applying for pays in your area. Never blindly respond to the advertisement without researching salary information for the position. You can review several sources to see what a position such as this pays. Salaries can be researched by geographical location and other criteria as well. A job in California may pay more than the same job in Ohio because of the cost of living is higher in California. You don't want your salary response to be too high or too low. Check with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and see if you can find a range or median income. Another place to search is salary.com.

Respond to the request. Enter your salary requirements on the cover letter about three quarters of the way down the page. If you want to leave yourself some room for negotiating enter a range for a salary. My salary requirements are in the range of $40,000 to $60,000. This leaves some room for negotiating and it can keep you from being disqualified. If a salary entered is too high the employer may put your resume and cover letter in the do not consider pile.

State that your salary requirements are negotiable. When it's time to enter your salary requirements simply state that they are negotiable. If the employer considers you to be a viable candidate based on your resume they may contact you for an interview. This let's them know that there is some room for discussion. Once you land the interview you can always explore the situation further. You never want to bring up income or salary in the interview. If the employer asks you what salary you are looking for you can respond in a manner similar to this: "What do you normally pay someone with my experience and educational background for a position of this sort? Some employers may toss a figure out at that point. You can decide if this is acceptable to you.

Sources:

http://www.1st-writer.com/Salary.htm

http://www.1st-writer.com/CareerResources.htm#Salary_Calculators0

http://www.resumagic.com/cover_letters6.html