The salary question...

One of the hottest questions that job seekers ask......." Lately, every time I apply for a job the Human Resources department asks me my salary expectations. And when I tell them, I don't usually get the job"

How you answer the salary question becomes very important. If you don't answer it, or if you go too high or too low, chances are you will not be invited to an interview. And if there's no interview, there's no job.


You want to know how much a company is going to pay you and they want to know how much you're going to accept.

Far too often the job seems like a good fit, but qualified candidates are screened out either because their salary requirements were too high, low or the candidate failed to give definite answers. So what do you do about it?

There are several strategies you can try, but I advocate for the "Let's Make a Deal" method.

When asked, say something along the lines of "Would it be fair to say you're probably wondering if you can afford me in the event that you want to hire me?" Assuming their answer is yes, follow that up with "Well, I'd be glad to share all my financial information with you and I can even bring in documentation if you'd like. But the fit for this job seems so good, I wouldn't want to be screened out just because my last salary was a couple thousand dollars too high or low. So can we make a deal? Why don't we set up the first interview and I'll bring all the information you want?"(But of course, this might not work in Nigeria)

The other part of the divide is where you are asked about your salary history -- how much you're making at your current job, and how much you made previously. Should you tell? Is there any way to avoid telling? And why do potential employers want to know anyway?

Employers want to guage your market value. They also want a sense of what salary you'll be expecting. If it's tens of thousands of naira more than the employer can pay for the position, it's probably not worth wasting your time or the employer's on further discussions.

You could try two (2) strategies;

1). If you're filling out an application, put dashes in the box for salary history, indicating that you saw it. If you're responding to a job posting that says to send in a resume and salary history, just send the resume. If the employer is interested, someone will call to ask for more information.
 At this point, you're in a dialogue. Instead of telling the employer your current or past salary, ask what range they expect to pay for the position. You could also offer to provide your desired salary range.
**NOTE** This strategy could backfire; First, some employers may not call, choosing instead to focus on applicants who provided the information on the application.

My take on it is that if you are a qualified candidate and they are going to ignore you because you did not send in your salary history, you do not want to work for that organization.

2). Or you could just open up and tell the truth,  remembering that when the company actually makes an offer, you can still negotiate.