HOW TO HANDLE SALARY REQUIREMENTS
Salary requirements are one of the most difficult portions of your resume, and with good reason – many companies don’t want to hire people who are asking for more money than they’re willing to pay for the position. Fortunately, you can avoid most of the problems with a little bit of quality research.
Find the Facts
If you don’t already know the average salary for the position you want, then look that up now. This will give you a good sense of what you can expect from the position you’re applying for, and more importantly, you’ll be able to include this information with your cover letter.
Match the Qualifications
Employers often want to find the perfect candidate, but sometimes, the requirements are so narrow that they’re effectively impossible to fulfill. Instead, you should be looking for positions that can meet most of their requirements; about two-thirds of the requirements being met is usually a comfortable level. If possible, you want to exceed the requirements wherever you can, and highlighting your qualifications and experience can help show why your services will be worth the salary paid.
Avoid the Luxuries
If you’re asking for a higher salary than average, you do not want to offer explanations that will reflect badly on you – and needing to pay off a lot of luxury items is a bad way to explain why you need the money.
Tell the Truth
Your willingness to work at a lower salary to be a part of their company is a good thing – but you should always be honest about what you’re doing. Do not lie about your financial obligations, and do remember that companies are usually looking for long-term employees that will be a good asset over time.
In short: Do your research, show your research, and always portray things in a positive way. This will help you handle salary requirements in a way more likely to get you hired.