Job change

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NabSh
Posts: 377
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 11:09 am
Location: USA

Job change

Post by NabSh »

So I have looked at the possibility of changing jobs. The market is hot, specially in my field.

I have had several recruiter reach out to me
In general it goes in one of the following 4:
1) Recruiter ask what do I make? OR
2) What is the salary I looking for ? OR
3) They say we are flexible, tell us what are you looking for
4) Offer a salary number, I tell them sorry it's too low. Then they ask what I want ?

I don't want to turn down pursuing a good opportunity. A position should be more than just money. I make good money But I could make more. I also feel money is a good way to determine how a company values it's employees.

My questions are:
1) When is a good time to find out what is the compensation for a position?
2) What is a good method to find compensation for a position without offering your own number?
xzhou
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon May 28, 2007 1:14 am

Re: Job change

Post by xzhou »

Have you tried Glassdoor?
bltn
Posts: 1844
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:32 pm

Re: Job change

Post by bltn »

Three years ago, my son in law, a software engineer, was offered a job at a FAANG. He was leaving a job at a startup that was purchased by a bigger company. He was asked what he wanted in income. He named a figure 50% higher than his current income. He was told the job they were offering him didn t pay that little and offered 50% more salary than the figure he named and a number of RSU s. I still wonder if he was better informed about the company income structure, he might have received more.

I simply don t understand the job conditions and compensation practices at these tech companies. But with a bit of a front row seat, I enjoy watching the employment setting.
Topic Author
NabSh
Posts: 377
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 11:09 am
Location: USA

Re: Job change

Post by NabSh »

xzhou wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:14 pm Have you tried Glassdoor?
I didn't find any meaningful information on Glassdoor
Topic Author
NabSh
Posts: 377
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2020 11:09 am
Location: USA

Re: Job change

Post by NabSh »

bltn wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:35 pm Three years ago, my son in law, a software engineer, was offered a job at a FAANG. He was leaving a job at a startup that was purchased by a bigger company. He was asked what he wanted in income. He named a figure 50% higher than his current income. He was told the job they were offering him didn t pay that little and offered 50% more salary than the figure he named and a number of RSU s. I still wonder if he was better informed about the company income structure, he might have received more.

I simply don t understand the job conditions and compensation practices at these tech companies. But with a bit of a front row seat, I enjoy watching the employment setting.
So the bottom line is never give your number... What if the recruiter insist.....
ivgrivchuck
Posts: 1672
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:20 pm

Re: Job change

Post by ivgrivchuck »

NabSh wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 7:53 pm My questions are:
1) When is a good time to find out what is the compensation for a position?
Usually the recruiter will bring the issue sooner or later. It is usually not wise to rush it.
2) What is a good method to find compensation for a position without offering your own number?
It doesn't usually work that way. At some point you have to bring up your own number...

There are a couple things you could try:
1) Try to get contact with people working on your field and get an understanding of reasonable pay ranges
2) Try to find the information online
3) If it is indeed a hot field, start by applying to companies that you could consider working for, but which are not your favorites to get some interview experience and see what they offer. Then use those offers as a baseline when applying for companies that you really want to work for (it also improves your negotiation position)
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ivgrivchuck
Posts: 1672
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:20 pm

Re: Job change

Post by ivgrivchuck »

NabSh wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:34 pm So the bottom line is never give your number... What if the recruiter insist.....
No. That will look unprofessional. The moral of the story is: If you really have no clue, apply to large, established, reputable companies. They have standardized pay ranges for different position. The worst that can happen is that you end up in the lower end of the range (instead of the high end), the difference is usually around 10-15%. If you apply to a small relatively unknown company, you might get a really bad deal without understanding it at first...
25% VTI | 25% VXUS | 12.5% AVUV | 10% AVDV | 2.5% VWO | 25% BND/SCHR/SCHP
khram
Posts: 271
Joined: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:36 am

Re: Job change

Post by khram »

NabSh wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:34 pm
bltn wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:35 pm Three years ago, my son in law, a software engineer, was offered a job at a FAANG. He was leaving a job at a startup that was purchased by a bigger company. He was asked what he wanted in income. He named a figure 50% higher than his current income. He was told the job they were offering him didn t pay that little and offered 50% more salary than the figure he named and a number of RSU s. I still wonder if he was better informed about the company income structure, he might have received more.

I simply don t understand the job conditions and compensation practices at these tech companies. But with a bit of a front row seat, I enjoy watching the employment setting.
So the bottom line is never give your number... What if the recruiter insist.....
Then you insist.

edit: do your research. Glassdoor isn't great. They have way too many outdated salaries, many people don't include their bonuses, or might include the current value of the stocks for their RSUs, and not the grant value, etc. For tech, levels.fyi has good numbers. Leetcode forums also have some good data points. I am sure there are some resources for other fields as well.

And your salary will be way higher if you play the game. For example, if you go to Google, don't just interview at Google, they will lowball you. Time things right, get an offer from Facebook as well, pit them against each other, then go to Google (because FB's WLB is terrible).
marco1910
Posts: 97
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2008 3:21 pm

Re: Job change

Post by marco1910 »

Just went through this earlier in the year. In talking to my job placement agency. They said to turn the question around on the recruiter and ask them what is the salary range for the position of interest. They all have salary ranges. They can provide that and you can determine how best to answer after that.
vrr106
Posts: 354
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 9:27 am

Re: Job change

Post by vrr106 »

What industry are we talking about here? Generally I would say:
1. Ask the recruiter for a range. The potential downside - depending on the company, the recruiter you are talking to might be a "sourcer" responsible for many requisitions and not very familiar with details, especially when the compensation package includes bonuses or RSUs that are significant
2. Provide a "Total comp" expectation you have, which you might need to explain includes base, bonus, RSU etc.
3. I would avoid telling them your current comp unless your expectation is pretty close to your current comp. Many companies are moving away from asking for current comp, my company has mandated that recruiters cannot ask this question.
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