Job Application

[NISAR1]

Hi,

I am wanting to apply for a job and have got my CV ready and a letter. The vacancy states what my salary expectations are and this is what I am struggling to put in my letter. Anyone know what I can put down as a sentence or 2?

Thanks

[fiction-factory]

Do you have figure/range in mind? Decide what is the minimum you would accept and what is the most that you could reasonably expect. You might as well be honest. Then tell them in a sentence or two

[KARL]

When asked this question I always used to say "not less than anyone else working for you in a comparable job, and not more than you can afford".

[NISAR1]

the job is a laboratory technician which varies quite a bit from 16k to 23k as in my last job which took me along time to get to that pay scale.

[CrapAtCryptics]

Always ask for the highest and see if it slips through - dont underprice yourself.

[Electrochem]

I am a Laboratory Technician. If you are just starting out in this career, £13K to £14K is realistic. I am now semi-retired and on about £25K pro-rata. In my last job, I was on £27.5K. Don't undersell yourself, but be realistic. Good luck!

[fiction-factory]

As well as mentioning your immediate salary expectations (X) you could also add that you would be looking to progress to Y within a certain period of time as you further improve your skills and take on additional responsibilities.

As for what your initial salary expectation is you need to think about what the lowest amount is that you would accept (say £18000) and then think about the most you could possibly get if they were really keen to get you (say £22000). You then make a judgement about where to pitch it. It's difficult as you don't know whether they'd be interested in you anyway as you don't know who the other candidates might be but hopefully you have a feel for how competetive the job market is in your field. I suggest you go for somewhere in the middle (or higher if you know that you are a strong candidate) and say that you know that with your skills, attitude and experience you would be looking for a salary of around £20000 (or whatever figure you think is right).
Don't ask for a figure that is too low- it looks as if you don't value yourself and you may decide it's not enough if offered it. But don't ask for so much that they discard you straight away

[NISAR1]

Thanks folks for your advice.

I sent my application vie email with a figure of £21-£23k. I then had a reply back the salary would be £14k-15k and if I still wanted to be considered. Why could they not have said that in the job advert wasted my time doing a letter a Cv and electricity. awwww back to the jobsites will my hunt ever end?

[fiction-factory]

That can work in some situations, Johnvic, but probably wouldn't have helped in this case given what happened- it could have led to NISAR1 being interviewed and then finding out that the salary was far too low.

Specifying a salary in an ad does stop people wasting their time, but some employers prefer not to mention it- they ask the employees what they want and if it's less than they would pay they say ' yes, that's what we think', but if the requested figure is too high they say 'sorry, the most we can pay is X'.

I used to avoid applying for jobs where no salary was mentioned in the ad but I know that in some cases 'salary negotiable' does mean 'name your price if you are good enough' so maybe I missed out.