Sifting through job sites and postings, I noticed that employers frequently ask you to submit salary requirements as part of the application package. I''''ve always been stumped by this because you''''re often told to avoid throwing out the first number when it comes to salary negotiations.
I asked Eileen Levitt, president of Columbia-based The HR Team, a human resources consultant firm, and Mark Jankowski, president of Shapiro Negotiations Institute in Baltimore, which offers corporate training seminars, to share their thoughts on the matter.
Both Levitt and Jankowski agree that job applicants should do some research to determine their true market value and to learn what the desired position pays.
When you''''re looking for jobs, in terms of salary, you should know what you''''re looking for in a salary and valid reasons to back that up, says Levitt, whose firm recruits and hires workers for clients.
Check out salary.com, payscale.com and a new site called glassdoor.com, which is the salary version of the popular real estate site zillow.com. Trade groups have good data on compensation, too.
But Jankowski and Levitt disagree on who should start the salary talk first.
For Jankowski, the ideal situation is to find out upfront what the employer is willing to pay. If you have to throw a number out there, follow the first advice. He cautions against using your current salary as a base.
Levitt, however, says it''''s perfectly acceptable to make the first move. And she says it''''s OK to tell a prospective employer what you make in your current or last job and ask for a reasonable increase.
If you offer a salary request based on solid research, yet the company counters with a lower offer, then what does that say about the company? Levitt asks rhetorically.
Don''''t offer a broad salary, though, because there''''s a difference between say, $50,000 and $70,000.
To create more room for further negotiations, Jankowski suggests adding a disclaimer, such as mentioning not only a salary figure but a general sentence about applicable bonuses. And, of course, if the job duties end up being more than the initial agreement, you could also try to negotiate a higher base salary, he says.
Finally, don''''t make any false statements or stretch the truth about your previous salary if you''''re asked about it. Prospective employers will find out.
And treat the negotiations with respect.
Just remember ... you''''re not selling a used car or buying a used car, Levitt says.
