Salary in Cover Letter
Bringing up salary in a cover letter is kind of a touchy subject. You could look presumptuous if you haven’t even been offered an interview yet. If they ask for salary history you don’t want to mention what you have been paid in the past if you can help it. There are, however, some job postings that specifically ask that your salary requirements be included with your information. When that happens there are some things that you can do to be sure that the salary requirements you list are something both you and a potential employer can work with.
The first thing you should do before listing a desired salary in your cover letter is to make sure that you are not asking for an unreasonable amount. The easiest way to see what people in that particular position typically make is to do an internet search; sure, every site will give different numbers, but you can get a fairly good idea of what is reasonable by comparing information from many different sites. You can also find salary information by looking at job postings for similar positions.
You also need to make sure that the salary requirement you list is equal to your qualifications. The truth is, people with more education and experience typically command a higher salary than those with less experience or education. Learning how to negotiate salary involves knowing your value.
Include allowances, such as travel or lodging reimbursement, as a part of the total salary, not separately or in addition to; a good way to do this is to make a table to show how you would ask for your salary to be divided. Of course, not every company offers these types of allowances, so before putting this information into your cover letters, you should find out the policy of the company.
The last thing to keep in mind about including your salary requirements in this document is that you should state specifically where and/or how you came up with these numbers in order to show that you have given the matter some thought, not just came up with a random number.
Personally I only discuss salary in person at the time of an offer and I never reveal what I have been paid in the past and still get the offer. Find out how to negotiate salary without discuss your pay history.
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