Is it ok to ask about a salary range prior to an interview, especially if the interview is out of state

Question

Is it ok to ask about a salary range prior to an interview, especially if the interview is out of state

Answer 1

Unless the company contacted you without you filling out an application then they usually will not even discuss salary before the interview. If they contact you first then it would be reasonable for them to discuss salary rather than wasting your time.

Answer 2

Considering it's out of state they should do a pre-interview over the phone. They should give you a ballpark high end & bottom end before you waist YOUR time travelling. If they won't do that then they are probably not valuing your time or this position very highly. Now, asking for this info. is the hard part, but consider it the fist challenge of the job. I promise they will have more respect for you after asking. Good luck buddy.

Answer 3

I found this on Y!  

The best way to ask is "what is the budgeted salary for this position?"  This way you're not asking for an exact figure and it's not necessarily a point-blank question.  Also, what you're requesting/expecting will probably fall withing that range.  I used it once and the question went over very smoothly.  And, yes, I think it's okay, especially for an out of state job!

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Not really - you are expected to have an idea of the salary range for your postion, or to do the research to find it out.  Since costs of living are different in different states, you should research the relevant salaries and cost of living specific to that state.

Answer 5

Generally asking the salary up front is frowned upon.  Your best bet is to try to find out what a salary might be by going to a website like salary.com.  Also remember the change in cost of living if it's a different state.  If the salary would be less but the cost of living is also less you may be able to keep more money.  On the other hand if you're moving to someplace that is much more expensive to live a small salary increase could come with a big cost attached.

A good strategy for negotiating salary is to go through the interviews and wait until they really want you for the job.  Then if they come to you with a salary (let's say 50k) you can go back to them and say "well with what you're telling me about the job it sounds more like 56k".  You'll get more if they really want you for the job than if they haven't met you yet.