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I am getting ready to fill out a job application online for a professional position (occupational therapist). The online app asks for "salary desired" and has an asterisk, requiring an answer. My question is, if I ask for more than I'll actually accept and it's too much, will they negotiate, or if it's too much will they just delete the application and never call?
To add some background, I am not good at this kind of thing and have a history of lowballing myself. My first job interview after graduating college, when I told the interviewer what I wanted as salary, she smiled and said "I'll be right back", went and called the person above her, then came back and asked "Can you start next Monday?" so I am fairly certain I asked for much less than what I could have/should have.
I've been at my current job, which is ending Monday (my company lost the contract) for 9 years, so I haven't done this in a long time, and I'm quite intimidated by this part of the process. Part of me wants to just say a lower number to be safe, but that's how I've always operated and often to my detriment. Any advice appreciated!
Start high and work down. Don't be absurd, asking for twice the going rate for your profession, but it doesn't hurt to throw a decent figure out there.
Do you think you are underpaid compared to your peers? Do you know what they make? Put down their salary plus 10%.
If you don't know what they make, but you are sure that you are underpaid, take your current salary and add30%.
Look up the average salary for your position on the salary websites, then ask for a little more than that depending on your history and experience, that way you should end up at least at the average salary for your position but do not price yourself out of a job.
Do you know other people in the field? I think it's good to have a professional network in this regard. I have found that in my field, people are very open about what they make, since most of us are going to make around the same amount. (There's not a lot of negotiating power.) For example, I know that hospitals X, Y and Z will pay me around 123 because they are a union positions, whereas hospitals A, B and C are not union, thus will pay me around 456 and I actually have a little bit more in terms of negotiating power. (Not much, given my field, but you get the idea.) And yes, if I wasn't going into a union (contract-based) position that predetermined my salary, I would reach a bit.
You also really need to research a bit online. Look up the average salaries in your area, since location matters quite a bit. OTs can make decent money in some areas.
Thanks, everyone. As far as my last salary, it was higher than average, because they were desperate and I drove 60 miles each way to work there so they had to offer more so I'd accept that. Looking up salaries hasn't helped, because I am applying for per diem, not full time jobs, which is a higher rate (no benefits, etc). The salary sites list annual salaries for full time with benefits. I have tried asking people, but the problem is there was no other OT in the building I worked in, and friends who work in the field have full-time, with benefits positions. I have been told by recruiters in the past that there is a shortage of therapists in my area. I wish I knew what the agencies that supply therapists charge per hour, because that is basically what I'm trying to do, only on my own rather than through an agency.
I will though come up with a number, than add a couple dollars an hour to that rate to make sure I am not settling for too little! The funny thing is the numbers I am twisted up about are relatively small, like asking for $2-3 an hour more or not, but that is my own fear, I have to just take some risks. Thanks!
Either start high and work down, or put down your last (acceptable) salary rate. Albeit, it is hard to negotiate a salary on an online application, but it does give the company a starting point if they choose you.
That changes things. You did not say that you were talking about contract work.
Determine the hourly wage you want and add 50%. Don't be shy, as you won't be getting benefits, you will have to pay self employment tax, you will only be paid for billable hours, which will usually be less than 40/week, and the employer has no long term liability.
That changes things. You did not say that you were talking about contract work.
Determine the hourly wage you want and add 50%. Don't be shy, as you won't be getting benefits, you will have to pay self employment tax, you will only be paid for billable hours, which will usually be less than 40/week, and the employer has no long term liability.
Really, 50%? Yikes, that is definitely going to force me out of my comfort zone!
Self employment tax is going to cost you an additional 6+%.
No retirement match from the employer is another 4% minimum.
You have to fund your own vacation/sick days, so that is 6-8%.
Pay your own health insurance. The percentage varies based on your gross, but let's throw in 10%.
Hire an accountant to pay quarterly taxes. That's another 1-2%
That's 30% right there just to break even. Any less than that and you are giving yourself a pay cut. Add in the fact that contract jobs can be terminated much more quickly than standard positions and you have additional risk in your life based upon your employment situation. You need to compensate for this by charging more money and banking it. I don't think that you would be eligible for UI. 20% seems like a reasonable buffer to me.
As a comparison, the fringe benefits that I pay my employees comes to about 45% of gross salary.
You can put down anything you want. But be ready to explain, if the interviewer asks, how you came up with that figure.
20yrsinBranson
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