Salary expectation

This is always a topic in this forum, here is my advice to our friends who have questions or delimas. Actually, I have a little different opinion than LAOTU, I think telling your recruiter or potential employer your expectation is not bad afterall. You probablly won't stretch them to their highest possible number, but if you do your homework, tell the number you are truely happy with, you will be happy with the result.

First of all, you can research your expectation by salary.com or other online database. You will have a very good understanding what pay range is regarding your job.

Then determine how good you are in your field. Are you at 30%? average? 70% or top notch(90%)? You should know how much do you worth by now.

Offer comes, number shows. Now ask yourself how desparate you are getting this job. For newly graduate (unless you are phDs) without intern experience, take on a job you will have future (sometimes just take on a job, period) is far more important than a few thousand dollars more on your salary. Getting started and getting experience and network is so essensial. If you are good, 2, 3, 5 years down the road, you can ask a lot more. Of course, if you have multiple offers, you will have a lot of bargaining power.

Overall, knowing how much you are worth and how much do you want your potential job should make you very comfortable while negociating.

$$$ Good luck to everyone $$$