In most cases, a job applicant should not broach the subject of
salary or benefits until a formal offer of employment has been
extended. Nonetheless, prospective employers may ask you to
provide your salary history or expectations at the time of
application.
While salary history is a brief summary of your existing, or
former, salary; salary expectations is a reference to what you hope
to make at your next job. After you have created an
impressive cover letter that sells the employer on you and your
skills, conduct salary
research.
Consider your professional value in terms of skills and
experience as well as an average salary in light of the particular
position, company, industry and geographical location. Then,
summarize your salary history and/or expectations in one to two
sentence(s). Some examples include:
Salary History
"In my recent position, I earned $35,000 annually."
"Currently, I earn an annual salary of $40,000 with a potential
year-end performance base bonus of $3,000"
"As a Graduate Assistant, I accrued a $5,000 stipend in addition to
free room and board valued at $10,000 for the academic year."
Salary Expectations
"I would like to earn a minimum salary $50,000."
"Ideally, I would like to earn an annual salary between
$50,000-60,000."
"I would like to earn an annual base salary of $60,000 with a
performance base bonus
of approximately 5% annually."
For letter samples, please see a Career
Advisor.