- Joined
- 6/6/08
- Messages
- 1,194
- Points
- 58
Okay, so here's my conundrum:
My first position was a hire-at-will position for an entry-level position at a small trading firm that paid a very entry-level salary (about half of the average of a Baruch MFE grad). Now, a silicon valley firm that wants to interview me in San Francisco gives me that exact salary+$2000, but with at most a 10% bonus. And now I see why they wanted to know my salary history.
This makes me remember what my favorite professor posted about kids graduating in bad times getting crap salaries...so here's my question:
Considering that I know that it's an employer's market, and odds are, employers don't want to come across as complete Ebenezers and not pay lower than what I previously got, but considering that what I previously got was a pittance...
How exactly do I get some form of leeway in terms of bumping up this number if people ask for my salary history? I don't want to be working for a pittance all my life, and if I make a pittance on my first couple of jobs, then the next employer will simply marginally increase said pittance. That's not exactly ideal for someone who wants to start a family in a decade.
So...employer's market, I want more money, yes I realize it's an opportunity to "prove myself", but if you have a small company more interested in getting as much work out of you as possible while paying as little as possible in terms of both salary, and the attention you receive from higher ups...how exactly do I get more power on my end on the negotiating table?
My first position was a hire-at-will position for an entry-level position at a small trading firm that paid a very entry-level salary (about half of the average of a Baruch MFE grad). Now, a silicon valley firm that wants to interview me in San Francisco gives me that exact salary+$2000, but with at most a 10% bonus. And now I see why they wanted to know my salary history.
This makes me remember what my favorite professor posted about kids graduating in bad times getting crap salaries...so here's my question:
Considering that I know that it's an employer's market, and odds are, employers don't want to come across as complete Ebenezers and not pay lower than what I previously got, but considering that what I previously got was a pittance...
How exactly do I get some form of leeway in terms of bumping up this number if people ask for my salary history? I don't want to be working for a pittance all my life, and if I make a pittance on my first couple of jobs, then the next employer will simply marginally increase said pittance. That's not exactly ideal for someone who wants to start a family in a decade.
So...employer's market, I want more money, yes I realize it's an opportunity to "prove myself", but if you have a small company more interested in getting as much work out of you as possible while paying as little as possible in terms of both salary, and the attention you receive from higher ups...how exactly do I get more power on my end on the negotiating table?