When in the recruitment process do you discus money?

[Steve vRS]

I have had an informal discussion with a rival company. They have said I am a good fit, would like to emply me and need to formally interview me. They mentioned their salaries are not the best but competitive.

I am about to email them to say yes, I would like to have a formal interview but would like to know the package on offer as I don't want to waste my time or theirs in a days interview if the salary is too low.

Does this appear off to you or should I just ask the question - diplomatically of course

Steve

[Troubleatmill]

Once you have an offer.
That is your strongest position - and their weakest.

[mike9009]

Troubleatmill said:

Once you have an offer.
That is your strongest position - and their weakest.

Although, I did not follow this advice recently. At the first interview I told them my salary expectations - which they then beat by a couple of grand in the offer. I was expecting a salary some 25% above the advertised rate though....

So it can work other ways - my method saves people wasting time as I thought they may not 'want' to afford me......

Mike

[Pit Pony]

Ah. I don't bother to piss around.

If it's an RC who contacted me, because he has my CV on file, I immediately ask the hourly rate. If it's more than 20% LESS than my expectations, I laugh and say I'm not getting out of bed for that.

If they say, that it depends on experience, I ask them if having got a copy of my CV, they'd like to say what the upper end of the range is. If it's in my wide target range, I tell them I need about 20% more.

If I want to contact them, but the advert said "Competitive" I ask them what the rate is, as I don't want to waste my time sending a CV when the rate is too low, and then tell them I need a little more than the top of their range, or tell them I won't bother in that case.

It's a while since I was looking at permanent jobs, but now, I wish I'd just waited until the offer, and then told them the job isn't what I thought it was, and I'll need £X (where X is 1.5 times current salary). The mistake we make is not realising how desperate they are for the right person. Asking for an extra 20% is wasting an opportunity in my humble oppinion. Just wish I'd not sold myself short so many times.

[jonah35]

I'd ask outright

[Gargamel]

Steve

If they have already mentioned salary, then I think it is ok to ask for an indication of the pay.

At this stage it should be a ball park figure, Since without knowing about your fit for the role or potential they may not know where a outs on the pay scale you fit.

[AlasdairMc]

jonah35 said:

I'd ask outright

Ditto. I was approached by a recruiter and set out my salary expectations from the outset as I don't want to waste my time and theirs if they won't match and beat my current package.

[andy-xr]

Before you meet, you must have an idea in your head and them in theirs of what the package should look like so you dont waste each others time if one side is thinking same as what you're on and the other side is thinking 30% more or less. Get on the same page early so that it's not an issue and an offer is more a formality than a negotiation

[rhinochopig]

Ask up front for an indicative range. It wastes your time and theirs if both of you have widely differing views of competitive.

[Troubleatmill]

Giving a range is the best way to do it.

But you should try to engineer the conversation around "the whole package"

[Bullett]

The last few times I was approached I asked outright (the recruiter) for the salary range and benefits package (and not total package BS).
If the basic salary was in expected ranges then other parts are negotiable. I've laughed at the so called competative rates I've been offered before now.