Desired Wages, when asked about in an interview

[KrillBee]

I was talking to a potential employer on the phone today who saw my resume posting on monster.com.
He works for a contracting company and is hiring for a desktop support person at a nearby university in the St Paul / Minneapolis area. He asked me over the phone 'how much i was looking for in hourly wages'

I told him $18 per hour preferably. He said that would work.
I feel weird when asked that question, because I dont know how much my work is worth. I wish I had a better understanding. Hence why I made this thread

My experience in IT:
-2 years working part time at a college helpdesk while i was a student there (phone support and support via altiris remote software)
-3 months working full time at a different college helpdesk under contract (desktop support)
-and of course much tinkering in highschool with computers, solving computer problems for friends and family, building computers for people, selling computers in the newspapers, etc.

What am I worth hourly? And how should I go about discussing that in an interview?

UPDATE on page 2: parking considerations and additional FICA tax

 

[DanTMWTMP]

you should've taken into account the living costs in your area, and the average wages of people w/ a similar profession.

It's not so much how much you're worth, but how much you want (within reasonable range).

 

[Triforceofcourage]

Never ever quote an amount when they ask. Just say it is negotiable. The person who quotes a number first loses because no matter what you do now you will be stuck at that 18/hour. When you quote a number they usually never will go above it.

 

[MisterJackson]

ONE MEEEEEEEELION DOLLARS!

 

[BrownTown]

just say you are looking for a competitive salary for the industry. Don't get into number if at all possible.

 

[dmw16]

$18/hr...that's around 35k/year. I dont know where you are, but you couldnt live on that where I live.

 

[purbeast0]

another thing i've learned is never to discuss your current salary. when asked about that, just tell them you feel it is irrelevant at the time. the first time I said that it was weird cause I felt like I was kind of going against what they are used to, but usually they always accept the fact you dont want to tell them and have no problem with it.

good luck.

 

[SoulAssassin]

I always give them what I want/feel I'm worth + at least 5%. If they say it's too much, tell them what you want. If they say cool, you just got more than you were expecting. Many places no matter if you say a # that's at the bottom of the payscale will still try to talk you down so better to start high.

 

[mattocs]

Originally posted by: dmw16
$18/hr...that's around 35k/year. I dont know where you are, but you couldnt live on that where I live.

Its the opposite here. That is the kind of wage that would give me the good life.

 

[flexy]

you can very easily get an overview of what a certain position usually would pay in a certain area.

And then its also to your benefit if you know whether a company would underpay you or not.

And you would avoig being unrealistic if they ask YOU.

If you know that a majority of similiar jobs pays, say, $16, you can always start up w/ $20....and then if it's too high they USUALLY will tell you and you can settle for lower....but still way well in the normal pay-range.

 

[shuttleboi]

I've been interviewing quite a bit in the last two weeks as well. When someone asks you how much you are expecting to make, recant this magical phrase: "I'm just interested in a competitive salary that is commensurate with the job responsibilities, my skillset, and my background."

You should definitely interview with multiple companies and try to get competing offers.

 

[zoiks]

I just say that I would like the industry average for a person of my skillsets and background.
If they have a problem with that, I just elaborate on it further and try to bolster my case by quoting some salary sites such as salary.com etc.

 

[Bumrush99]

Always aim higher than what you think they are willing to pay. He probably had a higher salary in mind, since he said OK when you mentioned $18.. Now if you told him $25 and he offered you $20, then it still comes out to over $300 extra a month

 

[flexy]

and btw...dunno where you live...but $18 for SUPPORT is very good. Ok,i am in the deep-south right now where pay is utter ****, but i know there is a VERY KNOWN company in Nashville and if you get in there via an agency you'd get $13 (!)....as a direct-hire i ASSUME more....but $18 is defintly very good reading your background, not that i know about St.Paul, but it defintly sounds ok.

Go ask BB Geeksquad what they'd pay...so you'd have something to laugh

 

[KrillBee]

You all are correct, I should have never given a number, now I've messed up this job opportunity, lol. It sucks, since I feel like i have so little interviewing knowledge and knowledge about wages.

The bad thing is that he wants an answer by Wednesday morning (because he needs someone to start next monday)
So I only have tomorrow to figure out what everyone else is paying.
Maybe I should just say screw it to this job, and see what other jobs around here are like.

I have no idea how the cost of living in this city compares to other cities.

Originally posted by: flexy
and btw...dunno where you live...but $18 for SUPPORT is very good. Ok,i am in the deep-south right now where pay is utter ****, but i know there is a VERY KNOWN company in Nashville and if you get in there via an agency you'd get $13 (!)....as a direct-hire i ASSUME more....but $18 is defintly very good reading your background, not that i know about St.Paul, but it defintly sounds ok.

Go ask BB Geeksquad what they'd pay...so you'd have something to laugh

lol, i think BB Geeksquad (at least in my area) pays around $12 per hour.

 

[kevnich2]

I don't know about the rest of you, but $18 for a support position IMO is a great offer anywhere, other than of course downtown chicago, new york, boston or LA.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: zoiks
I just say that I would like the industry average for a person of my skillsets and background.
If they have a problem with that, I just elaborate on it further and try to bolster my case by quoting some salary sites such as salary.com etc.

Good move. Salary.com has some very accurate figures out there for the given area and job.

 

[Old Hippie]

recant this magical phrase: "I'm just interested in a competitive salary that is commensurate with the job responsibilities, my skillset, and my background."

I like it. :thumbsup:

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: kevnich2
I don't know about the rest of you, but $18 for a support position IMO is a great offer anywhere, other than of course downtown chicago, new york, boston or LA.

keep in mind it is as a subcontractor though.

meaning that i have to pay an extra 7.5% in FICA and I dont get any health insurrance or benefits.

 

[alkemyst]

I just say I expect an offer that's typical of others in the area. You can also use competitive with other's in the area.

If they pin you down, I always add I would need to review all the benefits you will offer to determine what salary would be adequate.

They should get the point quickly you aren't giving a number.

If you do know others at the same place and what they make, you can throw it out there if you really want the position.

 

[sswingle]

Originally posted by: mattocs

Originally posted by: dmw16
$18/hr...that's around 35k/year. I dont know where you are, but you couldnt live on that where I live.

Its the opposite here. That is the kind of wage that would give me the good life.

Same here.

Last time I got that question, I got a bit less than I suggested. I say go high, but dont be dissapointed when you dont get it.

 

[KrillBee]

UPDATE:

I just realized that because the job is at the U of MN parking is going to suck.
Parking permits (even in the cheap lots) cost 2.25 a day (and that means having to walk a ways)
The good lots are like $10 a day.

also if this is a 1099 contract, this means I wont be getting FICA 7.5% paid by the employer. Thats going to mean I'm going to have to pay an extra 1.35 out of my hourly wages, in the additional fica tax alone.

dangit! I should have asked for $20/hour

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: mattocs

Originally posted by: dmw16
$18/hr...that's around 35k/year. I dont know where you are, but you couldnt live on that where I live.

Its the opposite here. That is the kind of wage that would give me the good life.

Same here.

Last time I got that question, I got a bit less than I suggested. I say go high, but dont be dissapointed when you dont get it.

as long as they dont shoot you down (from the job entirely), when you mention a rate that they wont pay

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: KrillBee
UPDATE:

I just realized that because the job is at the U of MN parking is going to suck.
Parking permits (even in the cheap lots) cost 2.25 a day (and that means having to walk a ways)
The good lots are like $10 a day.

also if this is a 1099 contract, this means I wont be getting FICA 7.5% paid by the employer. Thats going to mean I'm going to have to pay an extra 1.35 out of my hourly wages, in the additional fica tax alone.

dangit! I should have asked for $20/hour

See if you can negotiate for a parking pass.

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin

Originally posted by: KrillBee
UPDATE:

I just realized that because the job is at the U of MN parking is going to suck.
Parking permits (even in the cheap lots) cost 2.25 a day (and that means having to walk a ways)
The good lots are like $10 a day.

also if this is a 1099 contract, this means I wont be getting FICA 7.5% paid by the employer. Thats going to mean I'm going to have to pay an extra 1.35 out of my hourly wages, in the additional fica tax alone.

dangit! I should have asked for $20/hour

See if you can negotiate for a parking pass.

he is just a contracting firm that the university is going through. he basically already told me that im on my own when it comes to parking, lol.

I called the university about it too, and they said that im not elligible for any deals, because im not a university employee and im going through a contractor instead.