Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Zety.com.
“Include salary requirements in your cover letter.” Ouch! As if crafting a cover letter wasn’t hard enough. The danger here? Go too high, and you price yourself out of an interview. Go too low, and you cheat yourself out of what you deserve.
Relax. In a moment, you’ll learn how to state salary requirements in a cover letter and secure the job you want and the pay you deserve. Read on for top tips to get money in the bank.
How to Include Salary Requirements in a Cover Letter
You can add salary requirements to your cover letter by saying, “My salary expectation is flexible depending upon the overall compensation package and additional benefits such as opportunities for advancement.” Or, “Per your request, given my qualifications and achievements, my salary requirement is $60,000 (negotiable).”
But do it only when you are asked to.
Mentioning your desired compensation without being asked is not a safe move. Only mention it if the job description requires it.
And if you feel you can beat around the bush and avoid the issue—don’t.
If you can’t follow instructions as an applicant, then you sure as heck won’t follow them as an employee. End result? Application rejected.
So better to come up with a figure and do it right. Read on to learn how.
Pro Tip: When putting salary requirements in your cover letter, make sure it doesn’t get too long. Check what the right cover letter length is in our dedicated guide.
How to Calculate Your Desired Salary
Three words: research, research, research.
The amount you state has to be well reasoned. You can’t just put in a million bucks and hope for the best.
But don’t sweat it, there are lots of tools out there to do the work for you. Use sites like Salary.com, PayScale, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Glassdoor to get an idea of what the job might pay.
Your research is likely to yield a salary range; let’s say $50,000-$70,000.
Use the high end as your salary desired, followed by “(flexible)” or “(negotiable).”
Sure, the proposition is confident, you might even say aggressive. But it’s based on hard facts, too.
Targeting the top end creates a “high anchor” that directs attention to your positive qualities. It pulls the negotiation towards that figure through the entire bargaining process. End result: money in the bank.
Pro Tip: When using salary calculators such as PayScale enter as much information as possible to ensure an accurate estimate.
Example of Salary Requirements in a Cover Letter
Let’s assume you’re looking at a job opening for an office manager. Let’s also assume that the city this job offers a salary range of $45,000-$60,000.
Here’s an example cover letter with salary requirements:
Margaret Sampson
1191 Barfield Lane
Indianapolis, IN 46204September 9, 2019
Julia Jimenez
Hiring Manager
Softplatinum LLC
8520 Allison Pointe Blvd
Indianapolis, IN 46250-4299Dear Julia,
As an office manager with 10+ years of experience and looking to step my career up to the next level, I was thrilled to see your advertisement for office manager. I have extensive experience in ensuring the smooth running of a medium-sized office and supervising a team of five administrative staff.
Along with day-to-day administrative duties, I have acted to support the HR team by maintaining up-to-date personnel records and holding responsibility for organizing and scheduling interviews. I would be delighted to have the opportunity to bring my extensive experience to Softplatinum and contribute to the efficient management of your office.
Throughout my professional experience, I have developed extensive skills in managing office budgets, being lead point of contact with suppliers, organizing company integration events and directly managing a team of administrative assistants. I have also been responsible for implementing and enforcing workplace health and safety procedures and I am OSHA trained.
A few of my wins at my most recent employer, Cranston Associates, include:
- Renegotiated initial tender for office furniture refit with new supplier, resulting in a 20% cost saving.
- Consolidated two legacy employee databases with a new system, resulting in a 30% reduction in workflow time for employee-related admin, including payroll administration.
- Implemented the latest standards in workstation health and safety leading to a 70% boost in employee comfort and wellbeing metrics as expressed in their monthly OfficeVibe survey results.
As this selection of achievements demonstrates, I believe in taking the initiative to improve workflow, well-being and make savings for the entire business. I will bring that same sense of ownership, drive, and passion to the office manager role at Softplatinum.
I’d love the opportunity to meet you to learn more about Softplatinum’s future direction and to discuss how my professional experience will contribute to your success and growth.
Per your request, given my qualifications and achievements, my salary requirement is $60,000 (negotiable). My salary expectation is flexible depending upon the overall compensation package and additional benefits such as opportunities for advancement.
Sincerely,
Margaret Sampson
See that? This example cover letter aims for the high end of the salary range and clearly states the candidate is flexible. They’re on the way to getting the best rate of pay possible.
Key Takeaways
Mentioning salary requirements in a cover letter is easy once you’ve unlocked the secret. Let’s summarize:
- If they don’t ask, then don’t tell!
- Thoroughly research your desired rate of pay.
- Aim high with an aggressive initial offer.
- Use sentences such as, “My salary expectation is flexible depending upon the overall compensation package and additional benefits such as opportunities for advancement.” Or, “Per your request, given my qualifications and achievements, my salary requirement is $60,000 (negotiable).”
- Always state your compensation requirements are flexible or negotiable.
Now get out there and get the best-paid job you can.
Add a Comment