Desired salary on job application

[Rioja123]

I'm doing a job application for a role which has already indicated the exact salary in the advert. So why is there a question asking my desired salary? Not sure what to put?

If it's free format, then type negotiable. It's a filter with people being significantly higher/lower to budget being rejected.

THanks, it's letting me put negotiable, and although there is a field for current salary, that one is not compulsory to complete. It would be a big pay rise for me, but I've been stuck on the same salary for more than 2 years and feel I'm being underpaid. So I don't want to disclose it!

I was told go £5k above desired salary. They'll knock you down.

It seems weird though because they've put the salary on the advert. I've only ever experienced this for job applications where you have no idea what they are willing to pay.

Put the salary you want for the role - not your problem if budgets need tweaking.

No point accepting a job for less than you want, and then resenting it.

I've never understood why they ask about current salary - surely there's nothing to stop people lying and claiming it's higher right? It's not like anyone at your new employer could find out.

Maybe they didn't update the form for a previous job application.

Just put negotiable.

At least they've put the salary on the advert.

All I ever see is £competitive or £negotiable. Give me a clue so I know whether or not applying would be a waste of time!

Yes - I know what you mean. I've applied for a couple earlier in the year and they got in touch asking about salary. After spending a good couple of hours on applications they then tell you it's several grand less than your current salary - drives me mad.

If you're really underpaid ask for a 30 per cent increase and then negotiate down to 25. No point moving employer unless you receive at least that much, in my opinion (unless you're being managed out that is).

I've just put negotiable.

We ask because previous salary is indicative of level they've been working at in our line of work. In describing responsibilities people can stretch their CVs a bit but if asked actual current salary it's a precise amount so they can't exaggerate. Well I guess you could exaggerate but that would invalidate the application and has potential to result in dismissal or worse.

Crumbs that doesn't really seem fair though if someone is underpaid. Their salary shouldn't be calculated on that basis.

Sugarcoma
I've never understood why they ask about current salary - surely there's nothing to stop people lying and claiming it's higher right? It's not like anyone at your new employer could find out.

Er, your new employer sees your previous pay when payroll recrives your P45 from your previous employer. A reference will also confirm similar employment details so if you said you were Sales Manager we'll know you were lying when the reference says you were a sales assistant.

No we don't calculate salary on the information- we have set salary bands with no flex to move to different paybands unless you change job. We use it as one of the checks to assess whether they are appropriately experienced for post they are applying for.
It's highly unlikely that someone on say £23, 000pa is sufficiently experienced at a senior level for a role that offers £74, 000. It would make me read the application a little more closely to see if I understood exactly why they felt qualified to apply.

@crumbs - they would be if moving industries, on a historically poor salary, or moving from a reduced hours role. Several women in my industry with 10+ years experience have had 30-40k pa increases when moving into the public sector for example.

The job advert may specify a maximum salary but not commit to paying the successful applicant that salary, ie it may depend on experience. In the case the salary you expect for your experience would be relevant. It is also true that lots of candidates apply for a role in the (mistaken) belief that the states salary will be negotiable, and interviews commence, offers are drawn up, only for the candidate to say they expect 20% more than is being offered for the post.

But Crumbs is right. If someone works for 2 years in a role for 23k and they are actually worth 75k, I would seriously question whether they were bright enough for the role in the higher salary! In practice people don't do this. They may be 10-20% underpaid but they won't be operating in a senior role and being paid admin wages.

But Crumbs is right. If someone works for 2 years in a role for 23k and they are actually worth 75k, I would seriously question whether they were bright enough for the role in the higher salary!
Different companies and sectors pay different rates. Wildly different in some cases! Naive to think that there is a utopia of salaries.

Ok, an analyst in Investment banking earns around 30k. Generally after 5 years experience they are at the level of senior managers in other industries (public sector for example) and the talented ones can expect increases up to 70/80k. Why? Because even for admin roles the industry only hires the best and so they put them through their paces - by the end of year 1 they're doing work that even senior managers in other industries might struggle with. Starting salary when moving industries is fairly useless.

Don't disagree about different salaries- it's just one indicator that would need exploration. I wouldn't appoint someone to a 70k job from a 20k job without understanding why they think they can make that leap. It is a trigger to ask more and dig deeper. Not sure I agree that an analyst with only 5 years experience could do a senior managers post though.

Believeitornot

Ex-headhunter so not remotely naive. Previous salary is a clear indicator. Obviously a move across industries can mean a significantly different salary but that is rarely true in practice. Usually people move for 10-20% uplift. If a client of mine was considering tripling someone's basic salary I would be advising them to be very, very careful.

I went from 24k to 90k, luckily the job advert didn't ask for my previous salary!

The actual day to day work I do didn't change all that much between the two either.

Turbo

Sorry to press you but what were the two roles? Why were you so wildly underpaid and for how long?

Its not an 'indicator' its a rather weak way of determining someone's likely negotiating position.

If I do (as I have) a role that tripled income and generated £60million of funding, but wasn't paid much for it, that's because I undersold my self, and wont ever ever do that again. I can still do that, but did a hobby project, so had a £42 equivalent salary, but if someone wanted me to generate £60million again, and tried to pay me £46k I would rather punch them in the face repeatedly and get a small fine than allow them to ride me that hard.

It also doesn't explain students going from zero to £36k, or someone coming from China to work here, or someone moving from sheffield to London to work in the city either, so its a total bollocks indicator.

I think its nuts to put this as a question - my desired income is around $645 trillion, but I'd be happy for that to be all company profits, with my salary being $8,000 just as much as having a $645 trillion salary as such.

If it were my interview process, anyone who didn't put at least £200k I would think was unimaginative..