Salary expectations question

Might be a silly question but I was wondering this.

When a company asks for your salary expectations at interview stage and you state a number which is lower than the actual salary offered for that graduate position, is there a chance that in case they make you an offer they'll give you the salary that you stated instead of the actual one?

Reply 1

KTS89

Original post by J-SP

If they offer you a salary less than the one advertised, then at the point of offer it is important to ask them why and see if there is any room for negotiation.

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Most grad roles though don't specify the starting salary on the job ad, rather than saying the generic 'competitive'. And I really doubt that a salary for a grad role could be negotiated in any way.

Reply 2

Smack

Volunteer Team

Your question isn't entirely clear. I'm assuming that this is for a graduate job where you know what the salary offered is, and you are offering your services for below that salary? Or is the salary not advertised (or listed as something like £neg), and you are concerned that you might have said your salary expectations were lower that what the company is actually willing to pay?

Reply 3

shawn_o1

I've had plenty of interviews and none have asked about my salary expectations. I do apply for jobs through recruitment, and agencies have asked, and I've been honest about it.
I would re-consider my application to a role if the interviewers ever asked a question regarding pay.

Reply 4

Rabbit20164

I have talked to several 'headhunters' over my career in electrical engineering. They all agreed that when asked what salary i expected, i should respond with a question as to what did the hiring organisation think the job was worth. I examine the listings on "monster.com", as well as other head hunting sites. I have a MSEE, and about 45 yrs experience. In my experience, after you have 10 yrs experience, additional years - unless they directly involve things identical to the prospective job, do not increase the apparent "value" of the candidate to the prospective employer much. From my examination of Monster, i know that the current (2016) salary levels, with my quals, i should be offered about $120,000 to $140,000 USD. I suspect that there are similar sites in the Uk.

Reply 5

KTS89

Original post by Smack

The second. Salary not advertised, I just have an estimate based on Glassdoor reviews. It is highly above average for a grad role, that's why I didn't state that number but a few thousands less as my expectation.

Reply 6

KTS89

Original post by shawn_o1

I have been asked this question a few times from interviewers, usually in the early stages of the process. I assumed it was just to see whether what the company offers meets the candidate's expectations, so that both parties know if it is worth continuing the recruitment process.

Reply 7

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by KTS89

Hmm, it's always tough being asked what your salary expectations are for the role when it's a graduate one, and you're a graduate and hence don't have much knowledge of what the market rate is.

I was actually asked the same question for my previous graduate job. I answered it by saying I would expect it to be competitive for such a role, but I'm not sure if that is necessarily the correct answer. It has also been my experience that most graduate schemes don't ask such questions. I think I agree with J-SP - you'll probably be offered the set salary for that graduate position (if there is one).