I recently attended on onsite, final-round interview at a company where I'd love to work. All of my interviews went well, and I followed up with a thank you to the hiring manager later that day and got a positive reply (although no offer yet).
However, I met briefly with the recruiter that day and had an interaction I wasn't prepared for her. She asked my salary expectations, and although I deflected and asked if we could discuss that once an offer is made (as I had been taught to do), she stated that she wouldn't make an offer until I told her exactly what I was looking for in terms of compensation. I asked about the salary range for the position, and she told me that it was "open." She said that I could take a few days, but that she'd need a number.
I didn't provide a number at that point for a few reasons:
- I'm switching fields and don't have a current salary to compare it to. It's been hard to find an accurate salary estimate for my role, level, and area.
- This compensation package will include equity, a benefit I've never had and, similar to above, don't fully know what to expect from that.
- I read a lot of advice on salary negotiation and was always told to defer until the offer. I didn't expect this.
- I'm a woman and I'm worried about being underpaid.
I've now gotten a little more advice about what I might be able to reasonably ask for salary. However, I don't have any offers in hand yet.
What do you recommend? Should I contact the recruiter and tell her I'm ready to discuss compensation? If so, how much higher than what I want do I start with? Should I just wait and see if she reaches out? Should I contact the hiring manager and somehow involve him?
Thanks!
Submitted October 29, 2019 at 10:05PM by freshfunthrowaway https://ift.tt/31Tw6RT
