Job application - salary expectations?

[kabbes]

I just recruited someone and had an enormous potential salary range in mind as an option because I was willing to take on somebody inexperienced with decent potential if that turned out to be the best option the recruiters found, but I also wanted the option of getting somebody highly experienced if they turned up. In the end, the winning candidate was something in between and got something within the range. My eye is on the next 5-10 years, not the next 12 months.

 

[mauvais]

that seems kinda bizarre...

or is it that people can end up doing a higher level job without it formally being a new post?

Well, they get proper progression (subject to a load of other conditions, process and business bullshit) so in essence no, but let's say you join as a graduate or even apprentice, it's basically easy to placate people with titles and a small pay bump as they progress. Move externally from company to company at the same level with a track record of success and, up to the pay ceiling for that kind of role, you'll get paid more each time as recruiting companies try to attract talent. The public sector is hamstrung in its own ability to freely do this but still has to offer competitive pay to attract its own talent (unless it's a careers monopoly) so has to pay more to hire people back in. If those two paths happen in parallel for long enough then you end up with a big disparity between people doing the same thing.

 

[kabbes]

^^Yeah, this. You’re only going to get the bigger pay rises by moving or by having an offer to move and your company matching it out of wanting to retain you.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Here's another job application asking for candidates to give their salary expectations, ranging from under £20k to £100k.

Glassdoor suggests the role in that particular organisation pays £22-25k, but industry average is £28k.

What would you put, and why?

Would putting a higher amount mean my application gets binned? At what point do they look at this part of the application? Do they use this info for shortlisting? Could I be ruling myself out of the running by putting too high an amount?

It's frustrating, because this kind of thing makes me wonder if it's worth the effort applying, if they might look at the figure and bin my application for wanting a decent salary, if they're wanting to employ someone who'll work for peanuts.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I just recruited someone and had an enormous potential salary range in mind as an option because I was willing to take on somebody inexperienced with decent potential if that turned out to be the best option the recruiters found, but I also wanted the option of getting somebody highly experienced if they turned up. In the end, the winning candidate was something in between and got something within the range. My eye is on the next 5-10 years, not the next 12 months.

That's a reasonable explanation, and it makes sense to have a wide salary range in that case.

But as in my original post, if there's a wide range for that salary band - and that wasn't given in the job details, that's info is available because of the response to a FoIA request that someone submitted and the response is public - applicants don't know if saying they expect a salary of, say, £40k is going to rule them out of the running because the line manager is looking to hire someone on £25k, iyswim.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

41k - it’s not right at the top but they’re used to women putting in lower numbers and they already have the budget approved so might as well stand out a bit.

Yes, this is a problem. Asking women what their current salary is and/or their salary expectations is bad practice becomes it further embeds and perpetuates gender pay inequality.

 

[MickiQ]

If you know the average is around £28K then so do they, they will certainly know what they're paying now.
so put £28K-£31K even if it is above what they normally pay. You want them to think they need you more than you need them.

 

[Thora]

I'd also put £28k-£31k.