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CarForumPoster posted:Absolutely you should. There are tons of calculators to convert your SoCal $ into Austin $. $100k in San Francisco is only $60k in Orlando FL. If someone was offered 70 in orlando they'd be living much better than on a low 6 figure SF Salary. I agree that you should, but cost of living should be taken with a grain of salt. It's a guess using averages and it also only applies to certain expenses, housing, groceries, utilities, and transportation being the big ones.
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Jan 16, 2015 05:14
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CarForumPoster posted:Absolutely you should. There are tons of calculators to convert your SoCal $ into Austin $. $100k in San Francisco is only $60k in Orlando FL. If someone was offered 70 in orlando they'd be living much better than on a low 6 figure SF Salary. enraged_camel posted:Hello thread. I currently live in Southern California, but I have an interview with a company in Austin next week. The question of salary will come up so I've been doing some research. Every website I looked at says Austin is about 30% cheaper than LA. My question is, should I be taking this into account when they make an offer? For example, if they offer the same amount I'm making now, does that mean that it's actually a pretty good offer? You can also use Federal Government Locality Pay to get an idea of what the cost differences should be. However, unless you're some extreme min/max kinda person you need consider where you want to live too. For example, given 70k in the Bay Area and 100k in Orlando, similar to the above example, I would still stay in the Bay Area.
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Jan 16, 2015 16:11
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asur posted:I agree that you should, but cost of living should be taken with a grain of salt. It's a guess using averages and it also only applies to certain expenses, housing, groceries, utilities, and transportation being the big ones. Having lived in both places I can say the calculator estimation is pretty spot on for the case presented. YMMV. The only two things to note IMO are: -youll probably be able to contribute more toward a 401k on the higher salary. -different regions commonly have different benefits that are normal there. My Bay area and Central FL benefits packages are totally different. In florida they actually use the word pension, a word you probably wont find in the tech industry. I would suggest use at least 2-3 of the several calculators out there.
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Jan 16, 2015 17:43
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CarForumPoster posted:Having lived in both places I can say the calculator estimation is pretty spot on for the case presented. YMMV. Consider, though, what the present value of one year's credit to the pension is. Even worse, if it's a defined benefits plan and not Federally guaranteed, the risk adjusted present value is probably close to zero.
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Jan 17, 2015 05:54
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KernelSlanders posted:Consider, though, what the present value of one year's credit to the pension is. Even worse, if it's a defined benefits plan and not Federally guaranteed, the risk adjusted present value is probably close to zero. Im not really presenting either of them as good or bad, just saying understand that old style companies in the defense and automotive sector will pay you in different ways than tech companies. And big company tech compensaion is very different than start up. About 30-35% of real compensation from my tech job including stock grants and investments I had access too in the form of 401k with low fees and ESPP was outside of the base salary number. That was not the case for defense. This may/will also happen based on area.
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Jan 17, 2015 06:08
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I'm interviewing for a position that's on the other side of the country for me. Before they fly me for a face to face interview, they want me to record my responses in a skype-like app to two questions and send them to them to be passed around. Would it be looked down upon if I tried to incorporate some sort of visual aid (charts, graphs, etc) in this video? I was thinking it would be good to think a little outside the box, but they are a very corporate structured company so I don't know if it would be seen as unprofessional.
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Jan 17, 2015 21:06
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I think anything that makes you look resourceful is good and a chance to do a creative, professional video is a great opportunity. Alternatively, would you want to work for a company that requires you do a worse job than you can so that you stick to some script?
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Jan 17, 2015 23:18
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I have a couple of questions because I feel somewhat odd about a request I given prior to the interview. I'm being flown out to Texas for an entry level chemist job next week but the team manager asked me to provide him two letters of recommendation to him, although he didn't say when he wanted them. I feel weird about this because I have 2 people I can ask from an internship I had in 2013, but I'm having trouble connecting with them. I'm currently working as a chemist, have been for 8 months (only want to relocate, otherwise I'd stay at my job for longer) since college graduation but I can't exactly ask my current bosses for letters or references until I have an offer in hand and pass the backgeound/drug checks. I already told him that I would try to get some to him, but how can I communicate that I'm having issues with my previous references and I can't use my actual good ones from my current job until they give me a firm offer, even if it is contingent on my current employers references? Also isn't it a little odd to be asking for letters of recommendation before even having a in person interview? I could provide a letter from a college friend that I tutored in organic, but I don't feel like that is a very strong letter, professionally speaking.
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Jan 29, 2015 06:39
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TheSpartacus posted:I have a couple of questions because I feel somewhat odd about a request I given prior to the interview. I'm being flown out to Texas for an entry level chemist job next week but the team manager asked me to provide him two letters of recommendation to him, although he didn't say when he wanted them. It's not unusual to request that your current employer not be contacted until you have an offer, as you do not want you employment to be in jeopardy. I have never had to get a letter of recommendation, though. Maybe the academic goons can help, if this thread can't.
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Jan 29, 2015 13:07
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TheSpartacus posted:I have a couple of questions because I feel somewhat odd about a request I given prior to the interview. I'm being flown out to Texas for an entry level chemist job next week but the team manager asked me to provide him two letters of recommendation to him, although he didn't say when he wanted them. Any teachers you could ask? I don't think there's an issue saying that it's taking a little bit for the people to get back to you with the letters and I doubt he expected them before the interview since it's already a sunk cost for them.
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Jan 29, 2015 21:03
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asur posted:Any teachers you could ask? I don't think there's an issue saying that it's taking a little bit for the people to get back to you with the letters and I doubt he expected them before the interview since it's already a sunk cost for them. No professors unfortunately, I just have my internship people and my current coworkers. My boss from my internship isn't returning my phone call so that looks like I won't even be able to use him as a reference, let alone a letter of recommendation!
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Jan 29, 2015 21:30
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TheSpartacus posted:I have a couple of questions because I feel somewhat odd about a request I given prior to the interview. I'm being flown out to Texas for an entry level chemist job next week but the team manager asked me to provide him two letters of recommendation to him, although he didn't say when he wanted them. Coworkers -- preferably ones you're also friends with.
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Jan 30, 2015 04:17
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I'm starting looking for a new job, but I'm not sure how to answer why I'm leaving my current company. I'm leaving because for the past month, it's been one five day work week followed by a 12 day, and starting at the end of next week, it's all 12 days for the forseeable future. Can I just say that, or is that talking bad about my current company?
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Feb 6, 2015 21:27
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Well I had a full-day interview yesterday. It overall went very well (1 hour presentation, 30 minute meetings with different team members for the rest of the day except for lunch with a group). The only things that I think I tripped up on is the HR rep and Hiring manager both asked me my status on applying elsewhere, and I stammered a bit and ended up saying I was still applying for positions that looked like a good fit, and recovered when with the hiring manager by saying I had a nice visit with the team and think it would be a great fit etc. I did forget to ask what their timeline was for making a decision and in my thank you email to the hiring manager the next day asked, and was told 'in the next month or so'. I also wrote personal thank-you emails to all the people I met with based on his suggestion (I didn't get any business cards back when I gave mine, but he told me the email address system) so I did do one for each, personalized with something relevant to each personal conversation I had. I had also asked when would he like me to contact him to follow up, and he didn't respond to that part. Should I do so in 2 weeks or 3-4? Well, time to wait for up to a month. I was hoping for a quick offer and being able to stop searching for new jobs because I really like this one.
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Feb 6, 2015 23:20
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Hawkeye posted:Well I had a full-day interview yesterday. It overall went very well (1 hour presentation, 30 minute meetings with different team members for the rest of the day except for lunch with a group). A month isn't so long. I've waited 2+. Keep applying elsewhere and follow up in 3 weeks.
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Feb 6, 2015 23:39
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Boot and Rally posted:A month isn't so long. I've waited 2+. Keep applying elsewhere and follow up in 3 weeks. Sounds like a plan, thanks.
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Feb 7, 2015 00:39
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22 Eargesplitten posted:I'm starting looking for a new job, but I'm not sure how to answer why I'm leaving my current company. I'm leaving because for the past month, it's been one five day work week followed by a 12 day, and starting at the end of next week, it's all 12 days for the forseeable future. Can I just say that, or is that talking bad about my current company?
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Feb 7, 2015 02:29
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22 Eargesplitten posted:I'm starting looking for a new job, but I'm not sure how to answer why I'm leaving my current company. I'm leaving because for the past month, it's been one five day work week followed by a 12 day, and starting at the end of next week, it's all 12 days for the forseeable future. Can I just say that, or is that talking bad about my current company? Saying you want better work life balance is a phrase it that doesn't bash the company. Also lets the interviewer know so you don't get hired at a similar place.
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Feb 7, 2015 07:02
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22 Eargesplitten posted:I'm starting looking for a new job, but I'm not sure how to answer why I'm leaving my current company. I'm leaving because for the past month, it's been one five day work week followed by a 12 day, and starting at the end of next week, it's all 12 days for the forseeable future. Can I just say that, or is that talking bad about my current company?
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Feb 8, 2015 21:25
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Got done with an interview for a major company that flew me down to Texas on their dime for the interview. Had to meet 6 different people over the course of 2.5 hours. Quite a few weird things happened though. I had to wait 40 minutes in the MIDDLE of my interview because some of the interviewers were in meetings and one guy had just been promoted to be the manager of the team (he would be my boss) and the guy I had actually spoke with before had gotten promoted to a senior management position. The guy who would be my new boss had not even seen my resume until I gave him a copy. Probably one of the most disorganized interviews I've ever had, but I stuck with it. Oh, and guys, proofread your resumes. I had the tiniest typo on mine, it was not a big deal but I did feel embarrassed about it (GC versus LC), very similar but very different analytical techniques.
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Feb 9, 2015 01:54
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I'm in the middle of a selection process for a sales position, did one first-contact interview with the ops manager last week and I'm waiting for the interview with the sales manager, who has the final vote. but I've just received word from the HR consultancy who contacted me in the first place, they told me that I fit the profile, but the company is "unsure" about my commitment because the position is located in a different city than my homeland, which is weird as gently caress, because I've been working there for 2+ years out of the last 3 years. They have asked me to write a motivational letter ASAP to help tip the scales in my favour. Any tips about this?
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Feb 16, 2015 14:09
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I'm in kind of a low-grade pickle here, hopefully someone can help out, at least with phrasing. I was contacted through LinkedIn by one of the bigger tech companies to bring my attention to a position available. It is in all honesty a very good fit and probably fits better into my "career progression" than a lot of my past roles - it's essentially a senior version of a role I'm currently performing for a huge retail company. I really want it; it's as close to a "dream job" as I've ever come so far. After I submitted my application, they gave me a candidate summary in Word format to fill in with lots of details like best time to contact me, why I want to work there, etc. However, the last 3 questions are concerned with salary: 1. What is your salary history? 2. What is your current salary? 3. What are your salary expectations? I'm currently dealing with the head office in California, but I'm a Canadian (and the office where I would be working for them is located in Canada) and I consider the first two questions to be highly unusual and none of their business. Please keep in mind that in Canada, employers are not legally entitled to this information as they are in the states - they don't ask for the equivalent of the W25 or whatever it is during onboarding here. I'm used to deflecting one salary-related question, but not three, and The Internet generally says that to deflect questions like 1 and 2, you should provide a salary range. However, I don't want to do that, either. Salary ranges for this position ARE readily available on the net, but I suspect that they are in USD for their California office, and they're also a lot higher than what I currently make. I would enjoy having that money if it's on offer, but I don't want to screw myself by quoting too high a figure. I'm also extremely underpaid and undervalued in my current position, my main reasons for leaving. I don't want them judging my skills and experience by what my current company happens to feel like coughing up. I do at least have the benefit of being able to type in an eloquent deflection rather than verbally stumbling through one. What do you all suggest??
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Feb 21, 2015 16:22
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1. "Varied." 2. "I've been asked not to disclose this information." "Exchange rates make this varied." 3. "Negotiable based on benefits." You are by no means required to give them this information and they can't make you give them a W2 to verify anything you tell them if you decide to tell them. I generally just say that my current compensation doesn't impact what the compensation should be for the position they're advertising, or I make up a number that's 25% higher than what I make and say that number and "but that's just base, and I have a nice bonus and excellent, cheap benefits." But if they're pressing that hard, I generally don't care to continue as they're probably going to be cheap as poo poo. If they keep pressing and you don't want to give the information, tell them that. Or say "just put in 1 dollar and we can come back to that if we decide we'd like to work together." E: One more. If they press in person or over the phone I like to say "let's decide we want to dance before we talk about picking the music."
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Feb 21, 2015 17:04
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They actually can make you give them a W2 or equivalent, in the US. Several people have had offers revoked for lying about their past salary if they were stupid enough to tell somebody it. This is why it is extremely important not to disclose this information at all, because you can have an offer taken or be fired for lying during the interview process. It's a really lovely move but there are plenty of companies that do it.
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Feb 21, 2015 17:25
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No Butt Stuff posted:1. "Varied." This is great, thanks. I'm completely comfortable deflecting these types of questions, even if they press; I was just worried about deflecting it three times without looking uncooperative. Bisty Q. posted:They actually can make you give them a W2 or equivalent I'm not in the US. Employers in Canada (or at least in Ontario) are never party to information about your salary history unless you choose to disclose it. Based on your thoughts and some additional research, I'm thinking about responding thusly: 1. What is your salary history? "Due to my experience across different industries, my salary has been varied. I feel that I have been fairly compensated in all of my roles [LIE LIE TOTAL LIE], and feel confident that I would be fairly compensated at Chocolate Teapot Co., as well." [Is it bad to highlight that I have worked for several different industries? I've worked for telecomm, and most recently, retail; this would technically be ecommerce, but I work in digital communications so there's a fair amount of overlap] 2. What is your current salary? "I would prefer to keep that information personal, but I feel that the role of Chocolate Teapot Maker fits well into my career progression, and am interested in discussing the ways I can use my experience bring value to the Chocolate Teapot Co. team and its customers." ETA: Apparently some companies specify in their hiring contract and/or employee handbook that salaries are considered confidential. I don't know if that's the case for me and I have little interest in trolling said documents to find out, but would it maybe be easier to simply say "Agreements with my current employer prevent me from disclosing my salary"? 3. What are your salary expectations? "I’m sure we’ll find a number that works for both of us, but for now, I'd like to concentrate on demonstrating how my skills and experience are a great fit for this role. We can come back to this later if we decide we'd like to work together." [Last part credited to No Butt Stuff, bonus points if I actually type that on the document] Thanks for helping me agonize over this, a lot of what I do involves written communication so I like to overthink this stuff. sheneedstherapy fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Feb 21, 2015 |
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Feb 21, 2015 19:04
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Eh, as a hiring manager, if I read those responses, I'd no longer be interested. I'd picture an exchange of: "Hey, sheneedstherapy, can you do XYZ?" "Well, I'd really like to evaluate what it's like to consider continuing activities potentially at some point what it would look like in the near future contemplating the completion of this work to our mutual aid and benefit." The current salary/salary history questions are indeed none of their business. The salary expectations one is reasonable and the only reasonable way to deflect it IMO is to say "Specific amounts would depend on the scope and responsibilities of the role", not the "I want to show you how great I am for the role" stuff. If you can't price the role, how can you possibly say with the degree of certainty you're trying to how you'd be the best possible person ever for it? I think you can much more simply address this by combining 1 and 2 and saying "Because of confidentiality agreements I've made with past employers, I'm not comfortable providing this information" and then giving an honest answer for your expectations; take your current total comp (add up the value of everything you get - salary, benefits, holidays, RRSP match, whatever), add 20%, and add x% adjustment for how much more responsibility/etc. you think you'd have and say "For total compensation, I'm looking for something around $X to move. Obviously we can negotiate how the different components of compensation get to that amount."
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Feb 21, 2015 20:05
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Bisty Q. posted:As a hiring manager... Thanks for your input. All things considered, I think I'll combine the salary history questions as you recommend and cite confidentiality agreements as a reason not to disclose. However, I'm simply going to put 'Negotiable' under the salary expectations question. That's probably what most people put anyway, and frankly, as someone who is currently employed (however unhappily), I have the luxury of screening out the type of company that will "lose interest" simply because I refuse to lay every card I have on the table before I've even had the first phone interview. Hope this will help someone else out if they come across a similar situation!
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Feb 22, 2015 16:54
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If it's really your dream job why not give them a honest answer? Especially regarding your salary expectations. They probably are asking it because they consider you a good fit but fear you're going to cost them too much.
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Feb 22, 2015 22:39
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Cippalippus posted:If it's really your dream job why not give them a honest answer? Especially regarding your salary expectations. They probably are asking it because they consider you a good fit but fear you're going to cost them too much. The reason I shy away from naming a figure is because the info I have about salaries for that role is for the Silicon Valley location, so it's hard to pin down what it would equate to in Canada in the same role. It's also really, really high; much higher than I'm making now. So my options would be: 1) Be "realistic" and choose something closer to my current salary, potentially either screwing myself out of a lot of money I could have had if I had the balls to ask for it, and/or giving such a low figure that they think this role won't fit into my career progression; or 2) Name a figure closer to the astronomical US salary figures I've seen online; I'll either get it, OR the Canadian equivalent will be significantly lower, and I'll scare them off. Hence: Negotiable. My purpose isn't to never tell them my expectations, ever; it's to deflect for now - let's bear in mind that I haven't even had the first interview yet - until a more appropriate stage of the game, at which point I will know more about the position and they are much more invested in me as a candidate. That's the key. Two interviews in, once they've decided that I'm either a strong candidate or THE candidate, they aren't going to be scared away by my naming a dodgy figure; they'll just counteroffer and hope I accept. It's only my "dream" job based on my outside perception of the role. As I learn more about the company, that could change; I need to be realistic and look out for red flags and not take a job based only on the magical picture I have of it in my mind.
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Feb 22, 2015 23:52
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I agree. I'm actually quite surprised that they pull the salary card so early in the process.
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Feb 23, 2015 07:39
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Lots of places have it right on the application forms.
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Feb 23, 2015 08:56
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sheneedstherapy posted:The reason I shy away from naming a figure is because the info I have about salaries for that role is for the Silicon Valley location, so it's hard to pin down what it would equate to in Canada in the same role. It's also really, really high; much higher than I'm making now. So my options would be: I just moved out of Silicon Valley. Make sure to use various cost of living calculators for the San Jose and San Francisco area. Its EXTREMELY expensive to live in that area. A low six figure income when you're mid 20s might be nice to brag about but when you can live somewhere else in a bigger house, driving a better car, with almost the same take home pay at a ~70k Salary (Space Coast Florida vs Silicon Valley in my case) you understand just how ridiculously expensive that area is. My 400 sq ft apartment w/detached 1 car garage was 1650/month, utilities for this tiny place were around $300/mo. Everything costs more, but you get to live in a beautiful area with a lot of smart people.
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Feb 23, 2015 14:04
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Thanks, friends. I used the responses I mentioned in my last post and have a phone interview tomorrow. I even had to ask them to reschedule their originally proposed time because I have another interview then, which was super awkward.
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Feb 26, 2015 02:08
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I'm interviewing with a very successful company as it is just getting its operation started in my country. The country manager definitely wants to work with me and from the start told me he wanted me for the head of Business Development. However, the recruiting process is very long, and phone/Skype interviews with the different people I have to be vetted by usually take a while to schedule. While waiting for the next interview, the CM wrote me to say that the head office had re-reviewed my resumé and were also interested in me for Operations Management ie glorified office manager (to be fair it's a bigger job than that but still). Looking at my profile I can understand why they'd want someone with my skillset getting the operation going, but I feel that long term I'd get bored. I think I'd be great at both positions, but there's definitely more interesting stuff to do in Business Dev. How do I make sure that I communicate during interviews that I'd much prefer one position over the other, without coming off entitled or like I assume the job is already mine?
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Feb 26, 2015 20:58
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Tell them you were meeting with them under the assumption they wanted to see if you were a fit for head of business development. If they ask if you're interested in the other role, just say you'd like to focus on the head of business development. You can fluff it up a bit, but you aren't forced to waste your time if they're going to try to turf you to a position you don't want.
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Feb 26, 2015 21:26
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When I got interviewed for two different tax manager positions in the same company, I just told them the one I preferred, why I preferred it and also stressed why I was the right candidate for it. It worked and got the position I wanted.
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Feb 26, 2015 22:42
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This thread was a big help in how I prepared for a recent interview. The part that stuck out to me was when answering a question to be sure to say how I learned from an experience and used that experience to teach others. I now have a better job. 
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May 13, 2015 14:00
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I had a great round of in person interviews today and the hiring manager was the last interview of the day, and he straight up said that he'd follow up with the internal Recruiter and schedule me for a follow up, and then on the way out the recruiter was walking by as he was showing me the workspace and he was just like "oh hey, yeah can you set up BoB up for round 2? thanks" What does my follow-up thank you emails look like? I only have the recruiters email address, and the hiring manager gave me his card on the way out. The hiring manager would be the boss of my boss.
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May 16, 2015 03:48
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Thanks for interviewing me, can't wait for round 2.
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May 16, 2015 16:50
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I had a job interview for an awesome engineering internship last Friday. The hiring manager called me today and told me he'd like to set up an informal interview "at a Starbucks or something". I'm curious what your take on this might be. Do I have the job and this is more of a meeting to discuss the particulars of the job, or might there be somebody else in the running?
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May 29, 2015 22:52
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