"what's your desired salary?"

I don't know home many people will read this but who all is going to read this will have a benefit for sure specially if you are looking out for a job and thinking how to answer the question

"what's your desired salary?"

Almost every candidate has been there. You are 45 minutes into an interview and it’s going well when the recruiter brings up the dreaded question: “what is your salary expectation?” As a recruiter who has spoken with hundreds of candidates, I have seen even the strongest candidate become awkward as they stumble through their response.

Many candidates fear that their answer can somehow derail an otherwise successful interview by falling into one of these categories:

“I asked for a rate outside of the salary range and now the recruiter is no longer interested” “I asked for too little and now, if I get hired, I will be underpaid” “I asked for too much and now the recruiter will think I’m high-maintenance” “I’m not sure what to ask for and now the recruiter will think I’m uninformed”

The good news is, if you’re working with a good recruiter, none of the above concerns will be an issue. An interview is meant to be an information-sharing conversation between yourself and the recruiter that goes both ways; just as you share details on your experience and skills, the recruiter should have an open conversation with you about the compensation for a role.

“I asked for a rate outside of the salary range and now the recruiter is no longer interested”

While some organizations use pay bands and, thus, the salary range for the role is fixed, not all employment opportunities are structured this way. For example, a hiring manager may look for a candidate whose rate fits within a specified budget resulting in a salary ceiling but no floor. Alternatively, some hiring managers will consider candidates at various levels of seniority, especially when seeking contractors or part-time employees with rare talents. Don’t assume your recruiter is being withholding if they don’t provide a salary range – they may not have one either.

“I asked for too little and now, if I get hired, I will be underpaid”

While some recruiters may take advantage of a low salary request, a good recruiter wants to ensure that you are happy with your rate as well. If you aren’t happy with the rate you settled on, all the work that went into finding great talent (you) would be wasted if you leave your job for an extra $2,000. A good recruiter will work with you to ensure your rate is competitive and will get the hiring manager’s attention without putting your income at risk.

“I asked for too much and now the recruiter will think I’m high-maintenance”

If you ask for a rate that is astronomical in comparison to market rates, most recruiters will take this as an indication that your expectations don’t align with the business and thus you aren’t a good fit for the role. However, if your rate is slightly above market rates but there is good reason for it (you live in a high-cost city, you possess hard-to-find skills, etc.), your recruiter should simply have an open conversation about why you have requested a higher rate to determine if it is justified. In my experience, I have encouraged candidates to lower their rate, agreed with the rate they requested and even gone to bat for candidates who deserve higher rates. Just remember: if your current income is significantly above market rates, you may just hear “you should stay at that job then!”

“I’m not sure what to ask for and now the recruiter will think I’m uninformed”

Being unsure of your salary request for a specific position is understandable since you may only have limited information when going into an interview. However, once you have spoken about the role in detail with the recruiter, you should have a starting point for your desired rate. Some will say that you should build off the salary you made in your last role while others disagree with that. I suggest that, in addition to reviewing market rates that are specific to your geographic area on websites like Glassdoor, you should also know what your absolute cut-off point is – that is, the rate that makes you no longer willing to accept the role. Many candidates will say they want to earn “between 50 and 60k” but they would still accept $48,000. Be sure you know where you draw the line in the sand.

Overall, a great recruiter will work with you, not against you when discussing salaries. You should prepare answers ahead of time but should also be open to having a conversation with your recruiter to determine what rate is best for you and will work for the hiring manager. In other words, do not fear the salary discussion – it is a necessary and important piece of the recruitment process and a recruiter worth their salt will always help you make the. Right decision....

Hope it helped you....