By: Justice~!

Justice~! — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 22:02:36 +0000

To be honest, Johanna, I somewhat appreciate the salary screening question - there’s a problem *I* normally have that perhaps your expertise could shed some light on?
There have been a couple of times now that I have been interviewed by companies, in a three-interview process where the very tail end of the discussion was literally something like this:
“So, it looks like you’re an amazing fit and we’d like you to start as soon as possible. What sort of salary are we looking at?”
Justice: “[dollar value]”
Interviewer: (awkward silence for a second) “Well, our budget only allows for [much, *much* less than that amount]. Is that okay?”
Justice: “Well, the current rate for my peers is actually slightly *above* what I just quoted you, so as much as I like your opportunity I can’t really come for much less.”
Interviewer: “Er, okay, we’ll talk about this with HR and give you a call.”
Now, here’s my problem:
I’m relatively highly paid in my field, to the point that spending 6 hours in interviews (when you take into account my rate) is a fairly significant amount of money to me. I really don’t want to be wasting my time with a company that isn’t going to be able to pay, especially if the interview process is 6 hours long! Any ideas on how to broach this topic with some prospective employers?

Comments on: When to Ask About Salary

By: Justice~!