Simply Hired Blog

How to Answer Questions about Salary History or Requirements

It’s inevitable that you’ll be asked about your current salary or salary requirements during your job search. Sometimes you'll be asked to include this information with the application, other times it might not come up until a phone screen, or the employer may wait until you’re the candidate they want to hire before this question comes up. However, you should be prepared with an answer when you apply to each job.

So how do you answer the question? Here are a couple options to consider:

Do Your Homework
Before you even apply to the position, do a little research to determine what the job market is paying for someone with your background, in your location, and in certain industries. Salaries can vary greatly on a number of factors, so it’s important to be realistic in your expectations. To determine your worth, there are a number of resources available to you, including sites like payscale.com, salary.com and Simply Hired’s own salary tool. You can also search job listings that are similar to the role to which you’re applying, to see what similar employers are offering. Keep in mind that your salary can also depend on the full benefits package you’re offered, including vacation time, insurance, 401(k) options, paid lunches, laundry, etc.

Avoid Answering
One way to avoid giving an answer right away is to respond that you’d like to learn more about the position and its responsibilities and requirements before offering a salary. You could also turn the question on the interviewer and say something like “The market value for someone with my skills is between X and Y. Is this consistent with your range?” Another option is to hold out until you’ve sold yourself as the candidate they want to hire, so that they may be more willing to negotiate the salary. However, many employers won’t like this approach and may press you for a number, so have a number or range prepared in advance.

Tell the Truth
If an interviewer asks what your salary was at your most recent employer, it may be tempting to offer a number higher than what you were paid. However, the potential employer can (and probably) will find out your true salary when performing reference checks, so it’s important to be honest. If you feel you should earn a higher income, give the actual salary but also mention why you believe you deserve a raise. For example, you could answer something like, “I earned $60,000 at my last job, but I believe I deserve $65,000 based on the technical experience I acquired creating web pages” or “I earned $60,000 but the company was struggling and was forced to pay many of its employees below-market salaries.”

Offer a Salary Range
Without offering your previous salary, give the interviewer a salary range, such as $60,000 to $80,000. Make sure this is an appropriate range based on the position, so don’t forget to do your research. Also mention that your salary requirement depends on the job’s responsibilities and the full benefits package.

At the end of the day, your job search is driven by one thing: to land a job. Hopefully that job is one you actually like and that allows you a comfortable living. There are many tactics for answering salary questions, and the same tactic might not work for everyone or in every situation. When it comes to salary negotiation, it’s important to do what works best for you and what you’re comfortable with.

How have you answered questions about salary requirements or salary history in an interview? What tactics have or haven't worked for you? Share below in the comments!

How to Ask for a Job Reference

As you reach the final stages of the interview process, you’ll probably have spent a considerable amount of time talking with various stakeholders in the potential company to determine if you’re a good fit. In the next step, you’ll usually be asked to provide a list of references for the employer to contact, so they can get an outsiders perspective on you as an employee and your work. Before handing over some names of past colleagues, you’ll benefit from enlisting a few choice people and steering them to give you a great recommendation.

Asking for a job reference is as easy as 1, 2, 3…

1. Keep a list of potential references of people you work with or have worked with in the past. Most hiring managers look for recommendations from previous or current employers, though references from co-workers or people you’ve managed can be helpful as well. If you’re a recent graduate, professors you know well, or supervisors in clubs or on-campus jobs serve well as references.

2. Ask your chosen contacts for permission to list them as a reference. If they hesitate in giving you an answer or seem uncomfortable with the notion, let them turn down the offer. The best references come from those who enthusiastically support your work and career, and twisting someone’s arm won’t get you the best recommendation. The goal is to solicit a positive recommendation, not a mediocre one.

3. After they accept, prepare your references. Send over your resume or link to your LinkedIn account, tell them about the job you’re interviewing for, as well as a little guidance as to what you’d like them to say. If you’re interviewing for a cross-functional role, you might want them to focus on your abilities to work with a team and manage a range of projects at the same time.

Of course, always remember to thank your references for their help in your job search. They took time to draft up a recommendation or speak to someone on your behalf. And it’s nice to keep them in the loop and thank them again if you end up landing the job. Their recommendation of you might have set you apart from the other candidates!

Do you have a set of contacts you use as references in your job search? What has worked well for you when asking contacts to be your reference? Share your experience in the comments below!

About.com’s Reader’s Choice Awards

Do you love SimplyHired.com? Is our dog-friendly filter the only thing getting you through your job search? Think our social integrations with Facebook and LinkedIn are the bee’s knees? Does the sound of five million job listings make you so excited you want to break into song? Ok, ok…so we’re obviously a little excited about this – About.com is holding their Reader’s Choice Awards, and we want YOU to help promote SimplyHired.com!

It’s simple, nominate SimplyHired.com for “best job search engine,” and you’re done! Nominations are due February 4, so get your votes in before then!

Thanks for your support, we truly appreciate it! 

Relocation Job Search Tips

A long-distance job search can be tricky. While it can be difficult to find a job in a different city or state if you’re looking for lower level positions, it’s often easier to do for high level or hard to fill positions. Many companies prefer to hire local candidates because expenses to relocate employees are high and the logistics of interviewing long-distance candidates can be complicated. But it is possible to perform a long-distance job search and land a great job with the help of these tips.

Network
Networking continues to be one of the best ways to find a job. Many companies promote referral hiring, your resume has a better chance of being seen by the hiring manager, and you could gain access to job openings that haven’t been posted yet. So hit up your connections in your target area to learn about job opportunities at their companies. You may just be the candidate they’re looking for. Not to mention, as residents of your future city, they can give you tips on where to live, what to do, and what to expect of your community.

Mention Your Relocation
Be clear in your resume and cover letter that you are planning to relocate, or to include your availability for relocation. If you include an Objective section in your resume, include your relocation information here, as well as at the beginning of your cover letter. If you’re targeting a specific area, say something like, “Looking to move to Albuquerque, NM” or if you’re open to relocating anywhere, mention “Open to relocating nationwide.” If you have firm plans to move, include when you will be relocating as well. Try to give employers as much information as possible for you best chance of success.

Include Your Current Address
You need to include your current contact information (including your address) in your cover letter and resume when applying for a job so the employer can reach you. While it may be tempting to include a friend or family member’s address or make up an address in the area you’d like to work, you should avoid it. A recruiter may question why your current job (or last job if it is very recent) is so far away or why you’re unable to come in for an interview right away, and you’ll have to awkwardly explain that you don’t actually live at the address you listed. It’s best to be honest and list your current address, but include next to it “Looking to relocate to XYZ city.”

Cover Your Relocation Expenses
For highly sought-after candidates, a company may offer you a relocation package. However, for candidates who are competing with comparable local candidates, you might have a better chance of landing a job in a different city if you can cover your relocation expenses. Include in your cover letter and resume that you “will be relocating at my own expense” or that you are “willing to cover all relocation expenses.”

Become Local
If you’re having a hard time finding a job but you’re set on moving to a particular city, you may increase your chances of finding a job by taking a leap of faith and moving before landing a job. Since it’s easier to find a job in the city you’re living in, moving may expedite the job search process. You’ll be more readily available for job interviews, companies don’t have to worry about paying for relocation, and you’ll have better access to local job seeker tools, such as local employment agencies.

While a long-distance job search can be tough, it is doable. By working your network in your desired area, including your relocation plans high up in your cover letter and resume, and offering to cover your relocation expenses, you can find a job in the location of your dreams.

Do you have other tips for relocation? Have you successfully found a job despite searching long-distance? Share your tips and stories in the comments below!

The Shorty Awards are Back!

The Shorty Awards have returned for their third year, and are in full-swing of accepting nominations for the best people and organizations on Twitter. The Shorty Awards are unique awards designed for the Twitter community, and categories include everything you could imagine, including jobs.

Simply Hired’s Twitter account, @SimplyHired, has been nominated in the #jobs category. If you have an active Twitter account, show Simply Hired a little love and vote for us as the best resource on Twitter for jobs (and if you don’t already, follow us for job search tips, advice and news).

For more information on The Shorty Awards visit their website, and check out some highlights from last year’s awards ceremony. Voting ends on January 31, so get your votes in before then!

How to Vote:

• Go to http://shortyawards.com/ or vote directly on Twitter.
• Write: “I nominate @SimplyHired for a Shorty Award in #jobs because…(add your reason here).”
• If you vote for Simply Hired twice in the same category, your second vote will overwrite your first vote.
• Note: you cannot create a Twitter account just to vote, only votes from previously created accounts will be accepted.

We appreciate your support, thank you!