i think the job market is moving quite well now. so i'll go for 15 - 20% increment. of course, more is better, but scared that must do a lot of OT in new job.

before i go for interview, will try to ask around see if got anyone inside the company who can enlighten me.

and lastly, i will pray to God for direction and confirmation if that's really the job for me.

So far i have been very blessed in terms of work-life balance (some more got a bit of time to surf renotalk, haha)

If I had more opportunity in my current job for career progression, it would be at least 30% onwards.

But for me 21% to 30% range is good enough to warrant a discussion.

but it seems hiring companies always ask for current salary as if it always has to be a percentage of the current. what if someone accepted a lower salary cos of location ( super near home). for example I just passed an exam in my field which would be equivalent to the bar exam for lawyers or ACCA for accountants. so when i factor the 2 factors above i expect more than 30% increment in salary( which is the market price for a person of my qualification) but they r so obsessed about knowing my current salary which to me is irrelevant.how can i get around this to my advantage? anyone??

but it seems hiring companies always ask for current salary as if it always has to be a percentage of the current. what if someone accepted a lower salary cos of location ( super near home). for example I just passed an exam in my field which would be equivalent to the bar exam for lawyers or ACCA for accountants. so when i factor the 2 factors above i expect more than 30% increment in salary( which is the market price for a person of my qualification) but they r so obsessed about knowing my current salary which to me is irrelevant.how can i get around this to my advantage? anyone??

You don't have to include your current salary in your resume. Just write something like "To be furnished only upon requests". And if you want to deliberately scale down what you are earning (people tend to scale up just to reflect how good they are), you may just want to include only the basic salary (e.g. excluding bonuses and other remuneration).

From a HR perspective, many organisations also use the opportunity to benchmark if the company is paying out the right level of wages.

but it seems hiring companies always ask for current salary as if it always has to be a percentage of the current. what if someone accepted a lower salary cos of location ( super near home). for example I just passed an exam in my field which would be equivalent to the bar exam for lawyers or ACCA for accountants. so when i factor the 2 factors above i expect more than 30% increment in salary( which is the market price for a person of my qualification) but they r so obsessed about knowing my current salary which to me is irrelevant.how can i get around this to my advantage? anyone??

Just like what Archer mentioned, sometimes a firm might have an internal HR policy which doesn't allow them to pay more than a certain percentage increase from the current package the applicant is on.

On the other hand, if you think that the position that you are applying for justifies the package you would be asking, then its not an issue is it?

well, it depends...but 20-30% is more realistic

unless u can proof tat ur the best in the field & the company can't do without u.

dun neglect networking, too. some HR would rather hire someone recommended by the internal employees rather than wasting time & money to post ads & sorting thru all the resumes. those who are based on recommendation may have slight advantage in bargaining their salary.

i had the opportunity to double my salary (~100% increment) when i was headhunted from my previous job to the current one.

lets just say i depends on networking, skill & luck. its been almost 4yrs wif my current company now.

Edited July 10, 200719 yr by hencpu

dun neglect networking, too. some HR would rather hire someone recommended by the internal employees rather than wasting time & money to post ads & sorting thru all the resumes. those who are based on recommendation may have slight advantage in bargaining their salary.

I believe internal referrals are preferred because such employees are shown to stay in the job far longer than those hiired through ads. Also, some studies show that working with friends also improved morale in the department.

I believe internal referrals are preferred because such employees are shown to stay in the job far longer than those hiired through ads. Also, some studies show that working with friends also improved morale in the department.

Oh i see! No wonder my company promote referrals!

I believe internal referrals are preferred because such employees are shown to stay in the job far longer than those hiired through ads. Also, some studies show that working with friends also improved morale in the department.

yup, quite true.

Oh i see! No wonder my company promote referrals!

lol.. my friend was saying they pay a few thousand for the referral fee and said i should have told him i was going over and we could split the cash.. lol..

lol.. my friend was saying they pay a few thousand for the referral fee and said i should have told him i was going over and we could split the cash.. lol..

yap! point to take note. if recommend friends into the company(eg, don't perform) it will spoilt reputation you have build.

yap! point to take note. if recommend friends into the company(eg, don't perform) it will spoilt reputation you have build.

that is also quite true, which is why maybe most companies have the mentality that referred candidates will also be somewhat pressured to succeed?

I know alot of ppl don't go by headhunters but I told my friend that the headhunter got me the job and i thought that the package negotiated very decent for me.. so its ok for other ppl to earn abit sometimes for the work they've put in.

that is also quite true, which is why maybe most companies have the mentality that referred candidates will also be somewhat pressured to succeed?

I know alot of ppl don't go by headhunters but I told my friend that the headhunter got me the job and i thought that the package negotiated very decent for me.. so its ok for other ppl to earn abit sometimes for the work they've put in.

what u do mean by ' a lot of people dont go by headhunters?'.......isnt that a norm now if ur skillset is highly in demand u get calls now and then from headhunters.

maybe i misunderstood what u meant.

what u do mean by ' a lot of people dont go by headhunters?'.......isnt that a norm now if ur skillset is highly in demand u get calls now and then from headhunters.

maybe i misunderstood what u meant.

hmm.. i dunno.. but alot of friends in my sector don't like headhunters.. only a select few think otherwise.

of the ones that don't like headhunters, their feeling is that these headhunting firms aren't really interested in your well-being but they just want to match you to another place to get commission only, and aren't likely to represent your interest as they are representing the "other side"

I get calls now and then and i just keep the relationship cordial.. because for me I feel that sometimes, the higher you go.. if you can't get a referral by a friend in, it might be difficult to get into a big name firm.

Thats where headhunters might come in handy.

i seee

anyhow, im still peeved about the current salary thingy. Current employer is not aware of my new certification and was told to inform them so they can revise salary when i 'achieve' the status..but i dont want to tell them cos i wanna leave the company. but now having difficulty in getting market rate for my qualification as the headhunter always say 'what such a high jump from current salary...dont u think a bit unreasonable'...it gets tiring to explain to them..sigh