Appropriate requested salary when applying for job?

[miwashi]

I need some advice as I believe I may be doing something wrong. I've applied for more than 250 jobs over the last few years and only got called for around 30 and out of those only got 2 offers both with $800-1000 pay cuts, and I really believe it has something to do with my pay expectations, HR being such a hard negotiator and all.

In job application forms they ask for monthly and yearly expected pay, to which I reply with my current pay (I don't ask for any increase).

So that means $3800 monthly, and $3800*13 yearly ($49400). I don't factor in the performance bonus, economic bonus and whatever else.

Is this wrong? Should I be indicating more, since it is usually likely HR will negotiate for less?

Almost all the interviews I went for had the HR saying they can only offer a lot less as my experience is irrelevant, but 1 interview, at a gahment workforce related agency, had their HR director ask me why I was asking for this amount. I thought she felt it was too much, and then she continued, "normally people would indicate at least 5-10% more than what they're currently getting, relevant experience or not".

So this made me think about whether my strategy is wrong. I know there's all this rubbish about cheaper, faster, better from people who haven't heard of the project management triangle, but maybe even if you're good but you put a lower salary expectation, the employer will think you're only worth that little and all the skill claims you make during the interview are exaggerated?

What do you all indicate for requested salary?

I think you should put in your annual salary 3800 x abt 16 mth = 60800

Just tell them your expected salary min $60800/annum will be more relevant

[miwashi]

Can give the breakdown of the 16 months?

1 month is 13th month component, what about the other 3?

Originally Posted by miwashi

I need some advice as I believe I may be doing something wrong. I've applied for more than 250 jobs over the last few years and only got called for around 30 and out of those only got 2 offers both with $800-1000 pay cuts, and I really believe it has something to do with my pay expectations, HR being such a hard negotiator and all.

In job application forms they ask for monthly and yearly expected pay, to which I reply with my current pay (I don't ask for any increase).

So that means $3800 monthly, and $3800*13 yearly ($49400). I don't factor in the performance bonus, economic bonus and whatever else.

Is this wrong? Should I be indicating more, since it is usually likely HR will negotiate for less?

Almost all the interviews I went for had the HR saying they can only offer a lot less as my experience is irrelevant, but 1 interview, at a gahment workforce related agency, had their HR director ask me why I was asking for this amount. I thought she felt it was too much, and then she continued, "normally people would indicate at least 5-10% more than what they're currently getting, relevant experience or not".

So this made me think about whether my strategy is wrong. I know there's all this rubbish about cheaper, faster, better from people who haven't heard of the project management triangle, but maybe even if you're good but you put a lower salary expectation, the employer will think you're only worth that little and all the skill claims you make during the interview are exaggerated?

What do you all indicate for requested salary?

Can you at least tell us your experience, where you work, what you work and which co. and job you apply for? The fact you crash at so many interview is probably you suck at interviewing skill, dun think it has anything to do with how much you put expected salary.

I cannot imagine how you can crash when asking for same pay and then suddenly asking +20% increment can make you hot potato with employers.

Better get some HR friends to try out with you and see whats wrong

[miwashi]

yah
all the hr people i know are very tight lipped about this sort of thing
duno why

my current experience is in the grasscutting industry, but my background is in biology and I'm doing a communication degree now. Jobs I've applied for are at the science center, hpb, singhealth, nhg, nuh, all kinds of health sector positions doing research or science editorial/publications work. I also applied to SPH a few times as I noticed people with similar background working there - eg. bsc in life sciences in 2007, worked in lab a few years, then became senior producer of digital media now, which is quite a jump.

I believe I have more experience in content production work and yet I can't make it look good because this experience was from my previous jobs and not my current one where I've been stuck for 5 years doing nothing close at all.

Well, i guess you'll just have to take the pay cut for any of the new job offers to first get out of the meaningless grass cutting that you are doing everyday..
Then try to clock a couple of years of useful experience to take your career further... Sometimes in life you have to learn to accept a slightly disadvantaged offer to go further in the long run.. You can't have this type of always want to be champion mentality, cannot be short-changed..
In today's job market, you have to learn to be more flexible.. If you can't then you will die in your present grass cutting "career" and the world is not going to pity you because you cannot change your mindset..

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Well, i guess you'll just have to take the pay cut for any of the new job offers to first get out of the meaningless grass cutting that you are doing everyday..
Then try to clock a couple of years of useful experience to take your career further... Sometimes in life you have to learn to accept a slightly disadvantaged offer to go further in the long run.. You can't have this type of always want to be champion mentality, cannot be short-changed..
In today's job market, you have to learn to be more flexible.. If you can't then you will die in your present grass cutting "career" and the world is not going to pity you because you cannot change your mindset..

I agree with this advice. Personally I think it's already a little too late for miwashi. He'll just be another old chap stuck in his dead end career. And he'll complain and whine forever.

So you die die want to ask for same pay when jump from grass cutting to SPH media design and you wonder why no offers or employer ask you to take pay cut?

Originally Posted by miwashi

yah
all the hr people i know are very tight lipped about this sort of thing
duno why

my current experience is in the grasscutting industry, but my background is in biology and I'm doing a communication degree now. Jobs I've applied for are at the science center, hpb, singhealth, nhg, nuh, all kinds of health sector positions doing research or science editorial/publications work. I also applied to SPH a few times as I noticed people with similar background working there - eg. bsc in life sciences in 2007, worked in lab a few years, then became senior producer of digital media now, which is quite a jump.

I believe I have more experience in content production work and yet I can't make it look good because this experience was from my previous jobs and not my current one where I've been stuck for 5 years doing nothing close at all.

how many years have you worked in the grasscutting industry? it seems that it's a govt-related industry.

Am I right to say that you are holding a diploma now? If so, I thought that $3800 for your pay and jobscope is rather good, and no wonder the private sector would want to slash your payscale.

Pardon me, but 'grass-cutting' really doesn't impress private sector employers and they are likely to consider you with 'tree-planting', 'flood-maintenance', etc; even though you are doing something noteworthy.

You need to understand that perception to the HR, is reality.

But govt-sector is not so much in terms of discrimination against your job.

Hmm... how many years have you been in your current industry? 5 years?

I don’t see how you can ask for any company to pay you the same salary for doing an entire new job for which you haven’t got any experience. You are in fact asking your boss to pay you a premium for grass cutting experience that has nothing to do with what he’s looking for. If you the boss will you accept?

If not, better wake up idea to either sacrifice take pay cut and start from scratch or be prepared to rot and retire in your job until 65.