By | Victoria Pynchon | www.themuse.com
Dear Victoria,
When a job application asks for my salary requirements, what should I tell them—and will this impact my ability to negotiate if I get offered the job?
I don’t want to put something too high in case I put myself out of their target salary range, but I don’t want to go too low and cheat myself out of what I’m worth.
Can I leave it blank? What is your advice in this situation?
From
An Interviewee
Dear Interviewee,
The short answer to your question is that you should include in your job application as high a salary requirement as you can reasonably justify. I’ll explain the “why” in a minute—but first, let’s talk about the “how.”
Do your research to get your number—learn as much as possible about the position and comparable salaries from local and industry sources and job sites. See if you can get any insider information, too. Try looking for salary information on the company’s website or doing an informational interview with the position’s recruiter.
You’ll likely come up with a range, and you should put the highest number in that range that applies, based on your experience, education, and skills. And yes, that’s a little aggressive—but bear with me.
