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On 9/29/05, Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> wrote:
>
> The economy being what it is, it's becoming more and more
> common for companies to come right out and ask you want
> you're looking for and expect actual numbers in reply. My
> most recent reply went something like, "I evaluate the salary
> component of any offer in relation to the rest of the total
> compensation, but generally I would say that any amount
> over xxxx would be a starting point for negotiation. How
> does that compare to your range for this position?" Yes,
> you need to figure out what xxxx is, but offhand I think that
> even those who aren't sure what a "reasonable" offer would
> be have a fairly clear idea what what amount they'd refuse
> flat out. I never have a problem telling a prospective employer
> what I *won't* take; if the company's bottom line is so low
> that they can't even start negotiating in my range, my preference
> would be to find out and end the discussion as quickly as
> possible so I don't waste any more of my time.
>
> Gene Kim-Eng
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Fred Ridder" <docudoc -at- hotmail -dot- com>
>
> > In *any* negotiation, the party that first proposes a number
> > (either as an offer or as a demand) is at a disadvantage. It can
> > be pretty amusing to watch the maneuvers that people use
> > to avoid being the first to state a concrete number.
Fred and Gene have the best advice for this, in my less-than-humble opinion.
Let the employer or hiring manager make the first move. Go as long as
you can without directly talking about salary. Always do your homework
even when you're in a stable position--you never know when you could
have the opportunity to ask for a raise based on your experience and
location.
I actually do a bit of "reverse screening" this way--when recruiters
call me, I gauge how professional they are by how quickly they ask me
what my salary range is. The good ones will tell me about the job, its
location, my responsibilities, the advantages of working for the
company. In other words, they'll sell it.
The bad ones will say something like this (A direct quote from one
recent phone call):
Recruiter: "Hello, I am recruiting for XXX position with XXX company.
I saw your resume on XXXXX and wanted to know what your current salary
expectations and availability are, and would you send me a copy of
your resume?"
Me: (pause) "Who ARE you?"
If the person can't even be bothered to introduce themselves or tell
me ANYTHING about the company, it's a bad sign.
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