It’s hard to know how much money to ask for when you interview for a job. Sometimes an ad will tell you to include your salary requirements in your cover letter. Other times you might see an ad indicating the range for a job is, for example, $45,000 to $60,000. How do you know how much salary is the correct amount to request?

        Jill Montera, former director of the Suitts Center for Career Services at Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, says you don’t have to answer the question right away.

        “We coach our students to be as elusive as possible,” says Montera, who now works with MBA executives. “Address the question but put it back in the company’s court.”

        If the employer asks you to include your salary requirements in your cover letter or on the application, you don’t have to answer with a number.
        “Say, ‘My priority is to make sure I am a good fit for your company, I do have some flexibility, and I assume you would be paying market wages,’” she says. “Let the company come back with the initial offer.”

        Don’t guess at a number or say how much you’d be willing to accept.

        “You want the company to throw out the first number,” she says. “A student says, I need $50,000, and the company was prepared to offer $70,000.”
        Especially in this economy, she says, you don’t want to seem desperate or make it seem like you will take any amount.

        Then, do your research. Find out how much certain jobs pay in the restaurant industry in your market. For general information, try the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Start at www.bls.gov, then click on “Industries,” then “Occupations” to find wage estimates.

        For more precise information, visit www.salary.com to find median salaries for jobs in your area. Enter the job title and your zip code and get a chart that shows the low and high ranges.

        When you interview for the job, let the interviewer know you researched the industry and you have a good idea what the market pays for the job.

        “You can demonstrate the research and how you arrived at that number,” she says. “You can say, this is the range for people with my experience.”

        When the job ad shows a range of salaries, the range usually reflects years of experience or the educational level. For example, the low range could be entry level or a person who has a bachelor’s degree, and the higher range could be ten years’ experience or a master’s degree.

        “Salary is one of the last questions,” she says. “They are looking for someone who adds value and is culturally a good fit.”

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