Re: re Salary history

["Kahn, Stacey" <skahn -at- WB -dot- COM>]

HR departments' role in the hiring process is generally to screen applicants--
not hire them. Remember that HR is an administrative department: it has no line
authority or responsibility.

What I've seen most often is that the HR department passes resumes to the
project or line organization, and a manager, generally the person who would
manage the new hire, decides who is to be interviewed.

What this means is that your goal is to get your resume to that manager. Which
means don't give HR a reason to delete your resume-- if you don't include a
salary range, you can't be wrong.

The interview will give the hiring manager a good idea of your experience and
likely salary requirements, and will tell you whether the job can pay what
you're asking. If they want you, they usually can decide to up/down-grade the
position and the pay.

and Rose:
> (snip) Should I apply?  Or not apply?  Send a middle-sized salary
> requirement?  Call the people I know who work there and explain
> the situation and feel them out about salary range?  Call the
> people I know who work there and find out if it is some other
> factor that got my resume rejected?

Call your contacts.

> (snip) I guess the other reason could be my contracting history....
> I have been eliminated from consideration from permanent jobs
> before because I change jobs every one or two years.

Changing jobs every year or two is not at all unusual here in Washington. I've
worked with programmers who have worked at eight companies in ten years and are
continually being recruited by former co-workers to join new projects at yet
more companies. The longest I've stayed at one company has been 27 months--
which comprised five separate jobs. And I have no trouble getting work.

--Stacey Kahn
skahn -at- wb -dot- com
stacey -dot- kahn -at- neteast -dot- com

(standard stuff, opinions mine and not my employers'.)