What should you list under the "minimum salary requirement" on a job application?

If you know full well that the market rate for a specific job is $70k a year but the minimum you would accept personally is $50k. Should you list $50k+ on the "minimum salary requirement" section? If you do this and get called in for an interview, will the hiring person offer you the $50k salary knowing full well it is a lowball offer for the job? If you put $35k, will the hiring person offer you $35k?(and etc.)

What would you list on the "minimum salary requirement" for the specific job above that has an average salary of $70k a year and why?

20 Comments
 

I would put zero, my logic being that if you put a number down then they already have a bargaining point for where you will accept. Why would they offer you 70, if you just said you would take 50? Putting zero means you can go into the discussion and use your data points to say "while the market average for someone in this position is X, I believe I am worth Y (insert number greater than X here)."

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Whatever I am making now if I am that into the new position. Otherwise, now+10%. What I have trouble with is the max salary.

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I think this is a terribly unethical question. It would be strange for me to observe how people in the same position receive different salaries.

 

If you were planning to put 0.00 and it doesnt let you do that, wouldnt it be a good idea to try to put 1.00?

"Every man should lose a battle in his youth, so he does not lose a war when he is old"
 

Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Thats the way I went about it. Said I would like to recieve "XXX" but willing to negotiate...

Hey it seemed to work I got asked to go interview.

Thanks

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Always put down 000000 or variation thereof on initial application (or even better try to write down negotiable). In the comment section put down, "salary is negotiable". This is first round of interview and they want to knock you out by any means. Whoever gives the first number always loses in negotiations. Do your research and ideally discuss this question upon receipt of an actual job offer.

 

Put the salary at your most recent job. The reason for this is that they are trying to gauge whether or not they can afford you. If you put something super high they most likely won't even interview you knowing that they cannot afford to pay you what you think you are worth. Even if your most recent salary is below what the average pay is for the new position, deal with that later when they make you an offer. Filling out this questions should have nothing to do with negotiation. If you prove your value you will get paid what you are worth regardless of what you got paid in the past.

 

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