Job application faux pas?

[DontTouchTheMoustache]

I applied for a job but they didnt specify the salary (direct to company rather than through recruitment agency). Role could be part or full time depending on the candidate. Part time i would prefer slightly less than i am on now as it would mean that i would be able to claim 15 hours free childcare for my two year old (I'm currently single parent getting further into debt every month as i work full time and cant afford childcare, so please dont judge me for this). But if they wanted me full time i would need a higher salary than i have now. I emailed directly asking for the salary banding and i think it has put their backs up as they replied saying it was to be discussed at my interview next week. Then they have asked what my minimum requirements are so first of all i feel like ive made a massive faux pas in asking and secondly i don't know how to respond. Does anyone have any advice?

Bump...help I'm sitting in an anxiety bubble 😭

Don't panic.

There is no point in you going if they won't pay what you need. I probably wouldn't get too bogged down in the PT vs FT side just now, I'd just reply saying something like "my current hourly salary is £xx.xx and I would be looking to improve on this" or something similar.

You're allowed to ask about money, you work for money not fun! This is one reason I prefer recruiters to direct, no awkwardness about the cash conversation!

I don’t think you’ve made a faux pas, no point wasting yours and their time if the salary doesn’t meet your requirements.

When will interviewers learn that the only reason people go to work is to get paid so it’s not unreasonable that they’d want to know how much!

I dont think you have blown it, Do some research about equivalent salaries for similar jobs. Go to the interview with a clear idea and then talk about why you think you deserve the salary and what you can bring to the job

Aargh.

I would've interviewed first and started chatting salary once they've offered the job.

Don't email them back today, if you can avoid it. Take some time to think.

You need to know what your minimum is before you can start negotiating. Do you WANT to work pt or ft (not thinking about money)? Do you know what the going rate is for the job? Do you have skills/experience that would justify more? What about travel costs?

One of my pet hates is jobs advertised without salary. Immediately makes me assume the salary is crap.

I hate it too CupofJoe - even if the salary is crap you are as well saying it outright rather than wasting applicants time and recruiters time dealing with applications from folk who aren't going to take the job.

Unfortunately it's not always easy to tell from job titles either - roles like admin, analyst etc can vary enormously

PS: Read about why women don't ask for payrises... You deserve a wage that allows you to live without getting into debt. I wouldn't necessarily mention the fact that you could do it part time for less money... if asked, state what you wish to be paid, don't low ball, they can negotiate you down but are less likely to negotiate you up. If the full.time salary is not enough then perhaps spell it out. The full time job and salary will be worth more to you in the longer term.

Try not to stress about it. They should tell you the salary in advance because otherwise you might be wasting your time as well as theirs! Its not good practice. Just let them know your current salary and say ideally you would want slightly more.

Not a faux pas whatsoever- no way would I go to an interview without knowing what the salary for the job was!!

I think companies who do this are ridiculous, what if the salary is way lower than you’re currently on, why waste everyone’s time?

I’d email back saying, ‘My current salary is £Xk and I am looking to improve on this in my next role’

Just be direct!

I would've interviewed first and started chatting salary once they've offered the job

Really? At which point they could say their absolute max budget is £10k than what you’re currently earning & everyone’s wasted their time & energy

You were quite right. I don't think there's much point advertsing a job without a salary!
Sit down and think about how much you think the job's worth/you want to earn and take it from there.

Don't mention any specific numbers until they do! Ask about the range they are offering. Tell them where you expect to sit in that range and why (particular experience/skills etc).

This is a good article:

careers.workopolis.com/advice/five-secrets-you-should-know-about-negotiating-your-salary/

I think people are missing point that OP wants a LOWER salary for a part time position in order to qualify for 15hrs free childcare. But full time needs a higher salary.

I don't think you've made a faux pas Burbank I do think you need to go to interview straight in you mind whether you want full or part time. Unless this is a short-term contract bear in mind that you 2yo will soon be a 3yo and you'll qualify for 30hours so you're probably better off aiming for full time at higher pay. It's rather harder to negotiate that you want a lower salary.

Go on glass door and see what the vacancy pays as an average.

Email them back that amount as a minimum if you are still interested.

Thank you for your advice everyone, very much appreciated and calmed me down. So to answer a few questions, yes i would very much prefer to work.on a part time basis. When my son was born i wanted a PT role but my job is very demanding and difficult to.find on a PT basis.As ive built.up a successful career over 10 years doing it.i didn't want to do something else in case it impacted me long term. This is a rare opportunity to do what i do PT which would be ideal.
In order to get out of the debt cycle i would need to actually take a lower hourly rate to get the tax credit and childcare benefit because i would be £300 p/m better off if earn £8k less pro rata and work PT. This is absurd but it is a fact and riģht now having the extra money is priority as i am in so much debt that I'm ìn serious financial trouble if something doesnt change.
So i think what i need to do is work out the salary i need to ensure i get the tax credit and childcare benefit and say that i will only accept the role on a part time basis.

Well, they probably haven't specified salary as they will want to attract likely the best person at the lowest price, so they've left it open.

Now they've asked, I would do what a pp has said upthread and say what you are looking for.

Employers get annoyed when people ask about salary like this as they don't want to show their hand and also because it looks like the candidate is only after the money (aren't we all, but we're meant to be enthused about the job, working for their company etc).

If you do contact them back with salary requirements, consider adding in something positive in about the company as well such as "I would really welcome the opportunity to work for X (the organisation) as.... then list some good points about it. Research if you need. Good points to mention are its reputation, standing in the industry, any expansion that they've had in recent years, any awards that they've won for something. (although not all at once, that looks too ingratiating, just something that shows you've chosen to apply to them for them not just because hours, money and easy commute. Finish up by saying you look forward to meeting next week.

bubbins yes you hit the nail on the hed with my main dilemma and your point about him turning 3 is a good one that is also giving me a headache haha. He turns 3 next feb.
I have a week to run some numbers and work out a strategy and i think that is worth taking into consideration.

lilac that is really good advice thank you

X posts. I really would rephrase saying you would only accept the role on a part time basis, if you were planning on saying so in the communication before interview. Of course you might just be using that turn of phrase here but I would phrase it differently as it comes across as demanding/presumptious that you would get the role so here are your terms, before you've even met.

You could consider saying that if a part time role is available, which is ideal for you, then you are looking in the ball park of £X for X hours.

In my line of work - private sector - the salary is never advertised.

Managed to get an interview for a role I really wanted. Salary wasn’t mentioned at all. So, at the ‘do you have any questions’ bit at the end I asked about the salary.

The interviewer took a sharp intake of breath, looked down his nose and said that would only be discussed with the successful candidate.

I didn’t get the job, so I’ll never know.

Don't take less money for same hours. Reduce hours or you will find it hard to get going rate later.

I'm in a similar situation. Job advertised directly by employer, salary not disclosed. I've been for the interview today, only to find out there is a 2nd and 3rd round!! I don't even know if they will pay in my ball park. Yesterday I read a job description that sounded tough but at my level. Scrolled down and it was £20k less. so I'm nervous this role will be stupidly low or £20k higher than I'm looking for and I will then feel uber shit and incompetent.

So I would recommend being straight with the numbers. If you are willing to do the role FT, even for a few weeks training, say so. Try to come across as flexible to business needs as PT is asking for flexibility in return. Some roles state FT or PT because they have to. The recruiting manager may already have a fixed mindset on what they want. Would you still go for it if it's FT only? If yes, say so. Best of luck!

Well its actually advertised as a part time roll but stated they could incorporate some other aspects into the role if full time is required for.the right candidate so i think they would prefer to offer it as PT

@dailymailaredicks

I wouldn't go for an interview nowadays without reading the salary and interview structure on Glass door.

You can find out the interview questions and prep much better.