Expected salary on resume. Should I indicate the salary of interest in the resume? It is more difficult to indicate the desired salary if your earnings consist of percentages

Each applicant, sending a resume, expects a decent salary. If the employer has indicated the amount of the monthly wages when posting a vacancy, it is easier for you to navigate and understand whether you want to work in this company or not. If you yourself post your resume on recruiting sites or send it to a company, you should consider whether to indicate the level of income in the resume or not. Also, many people have a question about what desired salary to indicate so as not to scare away the employer.

How to put salary on resume

There are several options for writing in a resume about the desired income. You can:

  • indicate the overestimated amount;
  • indicate the underestimated amount;
  • indicate the appropriate amount;
  • do not specify the desired salary at all.

Overstating the amount can serve as a negative signal for the employer. However, you can try to prove on your resume that you are really worth the money by listing your business qualities and experience.

If the level of income indicated by you in the resume is clearly underestimated, the employer will gladly consider your application. But think about whether you want to work for pennies and at the same time carry out a large list of duties?

Adequate amount of payment for your work is usually indicated on the basis of market analysis. If you have studied this issue and know well how much they get for such work in your area, then you are on the right track. Most likely, the employer will be interested in your offer.

Finally, you can not indicate the level of income in the resume at all, or make a note “by agreement”. In such a situation, it is difficult to predict the outcome. If people with qualifications not lower than yours apply for this vacancy, then their resumes will be considered first. If your resume is of interest to a recruiter, then it is possible that you will be invited for an interview. The main thing is not to be greedy and realistically assess your capabilities. IN individual cases you can come to a compromise on the issue of payment already in the process of talking with a future employer.

Effective job search: the essentials in 6 minutes

Good health, dear friend!

Salary is a sensitive issue. I would even say intimate. And you should approach his decision not when some figure is announced to you at the interview, but much earlier. To begin with, let's understandwhat salary to include in resume.

What salary would you like to have? Based on your skills and experience, of course. Let's designate this desire of yours as a goal.

The goal, as we have said more than once, must be realistic and achievable.

Surely you know the range in which your salary fits as a specialist or manager with certain experience and qualifications.

If in doubt, you should study the market a little: go to job sites, look at employers' salary offers and job seekers' expectations. There are also various payroll services that are easy to find by typing the word “salary meter” into the search line of Yandex or Google.

Your goal should consist of the following minimum set of criteria:

  1. The best offer that you will immediately agree to.
  2. The lowest wage you can't go below
  3. The guaranteed part of the payment must be at least N%

I would pay special attention to item 3. In some companies, payment systems are so clever that the devil will break his leg. You must understand what minimum you will have if the variable part in the form of bonus payments “goes under the rug”.

Let's go through the further logical chain using the example of the author.

So, I'm applying for the position of head of recruitment in a large company.

The range of salaries in the market of employers' offers is 80,000-120,000 tr.

My target b:

  1. The salary to which I will agree without bargaining is 120,000 rubles net. Or "clean". Gross is about 135000 respectively.
  2. The lowest salary for me as an experienced leader is 90 tr.
  3. Salary must be at least 60% of Gross

What number to write in a resume

What is the purpose of a resume? That's right, get an invitation for an interview.


The first question is: should you put the expected salary on your resume at all? Some do not bet, citing the fact that “I just don’t know how much to bet”. Well, congratulations, with such a loser approach, a cunning employer will push you to the very bottom.

In addition, there are companies that do not consider resumes without salary indication.

In order not to forget, I will say that it is better to indicate the salary of net. That is, "pure". Actually, this is the default.


It would seem logical to set the lower limit of the range and dance from it. For example, from 90 tr.

Not certainly in that way. In the future, bargaining may follow and we will not have room to maneuver “down”.

Example: I put 90. At the interview, the employer offers excellent conditions, annual or quarterly bonuses, options, but the salary is 85. Get up and leave? And bonuses, a good office, not far to get there, how are these?

And then: the lower limit is not always important for the employer. Many people prefer to hire a more expensive, but also more qualified employee.


If you set the upper target bar, in my case 120 tr. - we cut off employers who are guided by a smaller budget, but who can later be, as they say, “squeeze”.

Therefore, I will bet not 90, and not 120, but 100 thousand.

sandwich technique

Moreover, when they call with an invitation to an interview, I will say that 100t.r. this is the minimum bar, but I really appreciate it with fuck for 110 tr

The reasons are as follows:

  1. I am an experienced leader successful implementation several large projects, including those that are announced in the vacancy (if not quite, I will try to adapt it in my resume and cover letter)
  2. I have the tools to run recruitment campaigns at 30% less than standard costs.
  3. I have experience in building related processes - adaptation, training, turnover management. If you have an onboarding manager, you can optionally opt out of his services and transfer the functionality to my department.

This is the sandwich technique - the price is wrapped in benefits.


Moreover, I myself will not name this figure (110) to the recruiter, unless he asks. And in general, I will try to transfer the salary discussion to the interview, since the recruiter is still not responsible for the salary discussion.

If there is some sort of bargaining going on with the recruiter on the phone, which is unlikely, or if the recruiter says that they have a tight salary bracket for this position, I will use this technique:

“If everything, except for my salary, suits you, I am ready to meet in person and discuss this issue, I think we will agree.”

Don't forget that we need to get to the interview. Already at the interview, I will move towards my goal - a salary of 120 tr. Any rigid fork can become tensile. Of course, if you try and approach the interview with a mind.

Company customization

If I see that a “rich” company publishes a vacancy, I will make a separate version of the resume on the job site with a salary of not 100 but 110. The price is not important for everyone, as we said a little higher.

In fairness, I’ll say that a separate resume should be done for almost any vacancy. Accordingly, the salaries in each resume may be different.

I will also increase my salary if the job requirements are highly correlated with my experience and strengths. This is not often, but it happens. This is logical, since the employer can get exactly what he expects without any additional spins and for this he can fork out a little.


Tune in morally to “sell” dearly. Believe in yourself, your value and future salary. Prepare your arguments for this in advance. But remember that your "Wishlist" must be justified.

Thanks for your interest in the article. I would appreciate a comment (at the bottom of the page).

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Have a nice day and good mood!

It is important to make your resume complete so that you can clearly answer the employer's main questions before the interview. People have difficulty filling in the column about their preferred monthly salary. Let's clarify how to correctly report this information, and when it is not necessary to indicate the desired RFP.

The expected monthly salary is the amount of money equivalent by which the employer evaluates the level of work and the potential of the future employee. By naming the desired payment, you report the cost, by which you mean the quality of your work.

Don't deliberately underestimate your value, as you will be mistaken for an incompetent person who just wants to get a job for any money. It is better to write "by agreement"

Should I include salary requirements on my resume?

To reduce the time for the selection of candidates, the recruiter excludes a resume with a salary that does not match the company's offer. In any case, you will have to decide on income and focus on it.

There are two positions for an employee in employment:

  1. Applicant knows salary for the position - indicate the appropriate salary level, or do not indicate it at all.
  2. Applicant does not know salary for the position - write the average salary for your specialty.

According to statistics, the number of responses to resumes is 38% less if there is no desired salary.

Average responses per job

Statistics taken from the summary of the IT field, in other areas it may differ

The question “should I indicate the desired salary in the resume?” Always remains open. Some applicants indicate a specific figure, others write “by agreement”, and some leave the field blank. But which one is correct? We will tell!

If you correctly compose your resume, the likelihood of success in finding a job will increase significantly - after all, this is a kind of self-promotion of the candidate. One of her criteria is the salary indicated in the resume. This document should be written in such a way that the employer has a desire to consider you as a possible candidate for a specific vacancy, so it should be short, competent, specific, original and reliable.

Whether to indicate a salary in a resume is a personal matter for everyone, but any tactics you choose can have both pros and cons - before making a final decision, carefully weigh and analyze everything. As a last resort, you can conduct such an experiment: when sending resumes to different companies, indicate the desired salary in some, and write “by agreement” in others. And see what offers employers respond best to.

How to indicate the salary level in the resume?

Experiments are experiments, but it is better if you are aware of the possible reactions of employers in advance. Let's consider several options.

You have indicated a specific figure of the desired salary.

According to statistics, employers respond more readily to such resumes. It just so happened that we all love specifics, and the company's management would also like to know about the expectations of the applicant. But in this case, further events can develop in your favor only if the opinions of both parties regarding the salary level coincide. Otherwise, the situation may be different.

  1. You have indicated a lower salary than you could be paid.

Of course, the employer will gladly respond to your resume and invite you for an interview. After all, he may have a chance to save on an employee with underestimated requests, and at the same time you will lose some of the money that you could receive. Or the employer will think that you underestimate yourself, that means something is wrong with you, and throw your resume in the trash.

It is difficult to predict how events will develop in reality. But if you decide to indicate a specific salary figure for which you are applying, find out in advance how much they pay on average for this particular position.

  1. You have indicated a salary more than you are willing to pay.

This can only be justified if, in parallel, your additional professional quality- then the manager will see that you are a high-level specialist who deserves to be paid more. If you do not differ in any additional unique talents, but demand too high a salary: most likely, your candidacy will be ignored.

Advice: realistically assess your professional capabilities.

  1. You said "by appointment" in your resume.

In this case, the reaction of the personnel manager may also be unforeseen. If there are many applicants, preference will be given to more specific resumes that indicate the salary level. In other cases, the emphasis will be on the experience and knowledge of the applicant. And if a person meets these criteria, he will be invited for an interview.

If you decide to indicate a salary in your resume, but do not know how to estimate its level, be guided by the income that you had in your previous job. This option is optimal, but, of course, only if you are applying for the same position that you previously held.

Talking about salary in an interview

Whatever you write about your expected salary on your resume, this question will still be asked at the interview. Therefore, we recommend that you prepare carefully.

If you indicated a salary level higher than provided for this position, justify this. The employer needs to see that you really have the unique abilities that were listed on your resume. If you represent for specific company valuable employee, you can meet halfway and pay a little more. But for this you need to prove your competence and high professionalism.

If you refrained from answering the salary question in your resume, you will still have to dispel all doubts in this regard at the interview. There are also several options here, how you can answer:

  1. Living wage calculation.
  • Calculate in advance how much money you need to live comfortably. In this case, everyone will receive their own figure, which will depend on specific financial costs:
  • utility bills, loans, expenses for a child, food, Internet, mobile communications, travel, etc.;
  • additional important costs: purchase of shoes, clothes, medical expenses, etc.;
  • other financial needs depending on the situation.

As a result of all these calculations, you will get a specific amount. Of course, all of us may have different requests, so it’s worth checking if the “living wage” you calculated does not exceed the average market salary for the vacancy you are applying for. If everything is fine in this regard, we recommend adding another 10% to the amount received - this is a kind of “safety net” in case of inflation.

  1. Landmark for official duties.

When asked by an employer about how much you would like to earn, you can answer that everything will depend on the tasks assigned to you. Find out what requirements will be placed on you and what job responsibilities you will have to perform. With this in mind, you can determine, at least approximately, the level of your salary.

Indicating in the resume the desired income or not is purely your decision. In any case, you must personally determine for yourself what salary will be optimal for you, because not only companies are looking for competent employees, but you also choose a job that should suit you in every way.

How do you usually react to an HR question about what salary you expect? Do you start to feel shy and speak insecurely?

To ensure that your salary negotiations are as successful as possible for you, you know what to say and are on top, we asked our expert - recruiter of the Lviv Consulting Group Oksana Abramenko formulate the ten most important rules.

1. The employer should be the first to talk about money.

Never start talking about salary first. You risk creating the erroneous impression that all you care about is money. Be sure: the employer is well aware that this issue of remuneration is very important, so he will never forget to ask it, and will not deliberately delay this moment. In general, the question will sound on time.

For example, phone conversation after sending a resume or an interview with a recruiter (the case when the recruitment agency is engaged in the recruitment, and not the company-employer). Some employers want to immediately weed out those candidates who will not fit into the allocated budget - so they ask the question of salary expectations at the first opportunity.

2. You must voice the amount

Never in response to a question about the desired salary, do not ask: “How much can you offer?”. What will the employer think in this case? First, you yourself do not know how much you cost in the labor market, which will already be a huge minus for you. Secondly, you are simply bargaining, afraid to sell too cheap and name a smaller amount. Both are repulsive.

3. Google it for the correct number

In order to adequately answer the question about the salary and give an adequate figure, you must prepare. Therefore, before the interview, conduct a mini-research. His the main objective– understand how much specialists of your level now cost on average and how much an employer is theoretically willing to pay you.

Where can you get this data?

Excellent sources of such information are:

1. Analytical data of employment sites;

2. Vacancies of companies of the same level as the one where you want to go (those of them in which the salary is indicated);

3. Resumes of applicants who apply for the same position as you.

4. Survey of friends/colleagues/acquaintances who work in companies of similar type and in the same industry.

4. You can call it a "fork"

If you do not know anything about your position, except for what is written in the vacancy, in some cases it will be more correct to name not the specific amount you are counting on, but the “fork”, that is, the amount from and to. Moreover, the gap between the minimum and maximum figures should be no more than 20-35%. Also, naming the amount from and to, for example, from 10,000 to 12,000 hryvnias, be prepared that you may be asked a direct question: “So you are ready to work for 10,000?”. Therefore, think in advance which numbers you put in your fork.

Even in the case of a “fork”, it is important to clarify that you will be able to give the exact figure when you know in more detail about the scope of work, responsibility, goals and payment system. For example, what is the variable and constant part, how is the system of bonuses and bonuses, and whether they exist at all. When talking about money, be sure to ask about it.

It is also quite normal at the interview if you name a specific amount that you want to earn.

5. Clarify if this is a “clean” or “dirty” salary

When talking about money, always clarify what you mean by “net” salary, as some companies sometimes talk about “dirty”, that is, salary before all taxes are deducted. Many applicants fall into this trap.

6. Don't say "I'm open to discussion" right away.

“I am open to discussion” is a good tactic, especially if the candidate has not mentioned the lowest level of his salary. But this phrase does not need to be said immediately after you have voiced a specific amount - then it seems that you yourself are not sure that you deserve to receive so much. It is best to say that you are ready to discuss a salary if the employer tells you that this amount is beyond the budget, or if it can be seen from his facial expression.

Also, you must remember about acceptable limits salary cuts. So on the eve of the interview, you must decide for yourself the minimum that you agree to. But also remember that the lower limit should differ from the upper limit by 20-35%. Since otherwise, if you are ready to significantly reduce the amount, the employer will have a question about how much you get at your current job and whether you initially overestimated your salary expectations.

7. Optimal salary increase - 30%

In an effort to earn more - do not go too far. Often, experienced HRs, when inviting you for an interview, already know how much you earned at your last job. Therefore, if you name the amount 2 times more, this will cause, to put it mildly, misunderstanding and trick questions to bring you to clean water.

8. You need to know why you want to receive such a salary.

Very often, employers ask why the applicant calls this or that amount. Your main reference points in the answer that you can refer to are the market situation, your experience, achievements and qualifications (additional educational programs, certification, for example, 1C for accountants, 6 Sigma system for engineering positions), as well as the amount of work that you need will perform. Never use difficult life circumstances, marriage, having children, etc. as an argument.

9. Don't try to persuade an employer to choose you by lowering your salary.

It is a huge misconception that the employer will choose the candidate who will cost him less than everyone else. If you deliberately lower your salary expectations (for example, those applicants who cannot find a job for a very long time do this very often), this will cause a lot of doubts and negative conjectures. For example, that you do not value yourself, you are not confident in your abilities and that your professional qualification insufficient, since you are asking for such a sum. By the way, some employers fundamentally do not consider candidates for "cheap" applicants.

10. Be sure to speak out all the details

This advice is more relevant for young professionals without work experience, who often become "victims" of unscrupulous employers, working for a penny. Be sure to specify all the details of your financial reward at the interview: for example, how long will you work for the minimum wage, what goals do you need to achieve, what to get a promotion (“what should I learn?”, “what should I achieve?”).