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First, the correct usage of the third person singular, possessive pronoun
(in your original posting) is 'your', not 'you're'.
Second, IMHO saying that you were making 'about $50,000' when you were, in
fact, making $32,500 is not being vague, or even vaguely honest. If you want
to make $50,000 then say so, but be prepared to prove why you are worth it.
Salaries aren't arbitrary numbers pulled out of the air by either employees
or employers. That's why we all start out at a low figure and work our way
up to a higher one. Skills and experience on the job increase your worth,
but rarely by $32,000 in one step. To jump from $32,500 to $50,000 sounds
like a daydream, not a real-life
situation. We all hope to make $50,000 or more, someday, but it isn't going
to happen the way you describe it.
I'd go with finding out what the competitive range for your experience level
is, and have your numbers in mind when you go in. How you negotiate the
salary is up to you, but I'd offer a $5,000 range. If they put you in at the
low end, you can always negotiate a salary review in 6 months, or benefits
to make up the difference. And it isn't 'haggling' - it's negotiating :-)
Kate Bailey
Technical Writer
Cayenta Canada Inc.
Andrew Plato wrote:
Nothing...that means you need to judge the scale of that "ABOUT." Sounds
to me like some people think $22,500 is too big of a jump. Okay, make the
jump smaller. If you're worried about that, then say "ABOUT $40,000" then
you're only $7,500 off from your previous salary. But, you're not going to
make $55,000 then.
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