I guess Im spoiled. Which explains why after all these years I havent left the company Im with. I once considered leaving for a 10K drop in pay, but so far nobody has offered me more than Im making now, aside from the obvious places like Saudi Arabia, and some corners of the United Snakes.
Ah, then substitute in numbers appropriate to your payscale. After all, I'm currently making 31.1 CAD + benefits, and these numbers are approximately according to MY payscale (and they're actually in US dollars).
Discussing salary requirements is never to your advantage, and I avoid it as much as possible, as long as possible. It won't raise the offer you get, and if you don't say the same number as the one they have, you'll come across as overqualified or underqualified. In some cases, it will lower your salary.
Usually, I start by saying "normal market rates" or "what you'd expect." If pressed, I'll say, "Salary is less important to me than a good fit for my job and skills." Eventually, they'll insist, and then you have to say, but hopefully by then they will have decided to hire you.
As far as all jobs, if someone insisted, I'd probably ask for clarification with a playful but weighted question. "Should I list Summer Camp counselor and working in my dad's office, or just things that relate to the position?"
They also want me to account for all periods of unemployment. Ick. I'm going to say that during the first period of unemployment, I was telefundraising for the SF Symphony (true, and they don't need to know that this was a job) and job searching, and during the second period of unemployment, I will tell them I was arranging to move from San Francisco back to Canada. Both reasonable. Both true, in some way.
It sounds like many of the questions about contacting previous employers are "standard procedures." Many times HR departments do "background" checks to make sure that you are a real person, that you have not killed anyone, and that you somewhat truthfully reported what's on your resume. By default, they believe that the background they should not be a problem, and if they are doing a background check on you, they have already decided that they want you - it's just a matter of covering their own backs.
ie. one of my previous employers even called up MIT 'cause they wanted to see if I really was from there(they don't normally get applicants from MIT, or really much education at all).
With writing/editing, verifying that you wrote/worked for someone usually isn't that hard, since there are archived stories and issues on the publication's website. Sometimes a job's website will even list your position.
But yeah. If they call me back today (they tried to call me earlier and I missed the call) I'll probably ask them if the check box is so that they can do a background check, or if it is to serve as a reference. Clarifying that would be good...
I didn't respond to the one about why I wouldn't put in the job history. Put in the contact information unless you no longer have it. Conveniently, you don't have to have it for the ones you think would give a bad reference.
RE the last question <1 month ... my last job ended and I interviewed like crazy, found & began my new/current job 2 wks later. EI never even had a chance. *sigh* GOOD LUCK!!! :)
I would list a higher salary than the offer. To me, it says: I believe I am worth X. I would probably still accept the offer (implying that the employer got a good deal, psychologically). There's also no room to negotiate if you start at the same price, in case it's a possibility. ;)
Note that in the US, it is effectively illegal to give a bad reference. Slander charges are par for the course, and usually end in the slanderer paying the expected salary and benefits, so don't expect many explicitly bad references. When pressed for a reference, however, if all they get is "I can confirm they worked here on those dates and this was their position", that's basically a bad reference.
My job search time is skewed, also, since the only time I spent looking was for a tech job during mid-late 2002 and early 2003, right in the middle of the dot com crash.
For expected salary, I like to list from just under what I want, to a bit over what I want. If I'm expecting 50K, I'll list something like 45-55. You can adjust this as you see fit, since you've got sort of a dream job in the works here, but don't stray too far, and try to keep it balanced. You might also consult a salary calculator, and list, say, the second quartile for that position in that region. (Almost no-one hires above median)
As for the salary request, you should always bolster your numbers from the past a bit, and it is fair, since you never know quite what benefits you might receive. When I left WPI, I would add about 10K to my paycheck salary when asked, because I was getting tuition out of the deal, and I considered that part of my salary. Feel free to take a few liberties, but be prepared to back it up if asked (like including benefits). On the other hand, if that bugs your ethics... don't do it.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 05:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-15 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 05:08 pm (UTC)Usually, I start by saying "normal market rates" or "what you'd expect."
If pressed, I'll say, "Salary is less important to me than a good fit for my job and skills."
Eventually, they'll insist, and then you have to say, but hopefully by then they will have decided to hire you.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 05:15 pm (UTC)They also want me to account for all periods of unemployment. Ick. I'm going to say that during the first period of unemployment, I was telefundraising for the SF Symphony (true, and they don't need to know that this was a job) and job searching, and during the second period of unemployment, I will tell them I was arranging to move from San Francisco back to Canada. Both reasonable. Both true, in some way.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 05:29 pm (UTC)ie. one of my previous employers even called up MIT 'cause they wanted to see if I really was from there(they don't normally get applicants from MIT, or really much education at all).
no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 05:36 pm (UTC)But yeah. If they call me back today (they tried to call me earlier and I missed the call) I'll probably ask them if the check box is so that they can do a background check, or if it is to serve as a reference. Clarifying that would be good...
no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 05:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 05:58 pm (UTC)EI never even had a chance. *sigh*
GOOD LUCK!!! :)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 08:16 pm (UTC)My job search time is skewed, also, since the only time I spent looking was for a tech job during mid-late 2002 and early 2003, right in the middle of the dot com crash.
For expected salary, I like to list from just under what I want, to a bit over what I want. If I'm expecting 50K, I'll list something like 45-55. You can adjust this as you see fit, since you've got sort of a dream job in the works here, but don't stray too far, and try to keep it balanced. You might also consult a salary calculator, and list, say, the second quartile for that position in that region. (Almost no-one hires above median)
As for the salary request, you should always bolster your numbers from the past a bit, and it is fair, since you never know quite what benefits you might receive. When I left WPI, I would add about 10K to my paycheck salary when asked, because I was getting tuition out of the deal, and I considered that part of my salary. Feel free to take a few liberties, but be prepared to back it up if asked (like including benefits). On the other hand, if that bugs your ethics... don't do it.