Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?
-
For me, when I'm looking for a new role I tend to gravitate toward the type and quality of work and the quality of the company. Salary has been an important secondary concern in my last few positions, though I've been lucky enough that I haven't needed to worry much about that much due to demand for Cloud Architects and Engineers, and my flexibility as it relates to relocation. And most of the roles I have taken in the last five years have been somewhat innovative due to the nature of the work and the technologies being used (cloud-native services, serverless event-driven architectures, ML, etc...).
I haven't really cared about my title for quite some time now. I've had one role where my title changed seven times in less than 2 years. In the last five years alone I've been an Operations Systems Administrator, Systems Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Cloud Engineer, and Cloud Architect. Across all of those titles, I've done the same type of work with varying degrees of seniority, responsibilities, and focus.
When it comes to disclosing previous salaries I've been pretty open when I am actively pursuing opportunities. I'm not going to devote hours of conversation and meetings with an organization just to find out the pay and benefits are not where they need to be. That's disrespectful of their time, and a waste of mine. I'll usually discuss that within the first couple of meetings with a recruiter or HR representative, and if appropriate I disclose it without prompting. I've not had a circumstance where it has had a negative result, and in the most recent offer I accepted (last week) I think it helped. In the right situation, I think it is an easy and low-risk means of establishing an open dialogue of trust. Now if a recruiter is contacting me about a role out of the blue, I rarely give out my current salary or even an indication of it until I've had time to research the opportunity. And I can't recollect having anyone outright ask me for my current salary.
-
@RamblingBiped said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
When it comes to disclosing previous salaries I've been pretty open when I am actively pursuing opportunities. I'm not going to devote hours of conversation and meetings with an organization just to find out the pay and benefits are not where they need to be. That's disrespectful of their time, and a waste of mine. I'll usually discuss that within the first couple of meetings with a recruiter or HR representative, and if appropriate I disclose it without prompting.
I agree with you about time wasting which is why it's one of my first questions. As in salary is discussed on first contact about the position.
I dont agree about disclosing my old salary. Why does it even matter? My requirements now are X which is obviously more than my old salary of Y. Only X is relevant in a conversation with a potential employer. They should already realize that money is a big motivating factor especially in Cloud architecture and DevOps. Many employers try to hire people for 6 months + for those positions so they know they have to open their pockets.
-
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@RamblingBiped said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
When it comes to disclosing previous salaries I've been pretty open when I am actively pursuing opportunities. I'm not going to devote hours of conversation and meetings with an organization just to find out the pay and benefits are not where they need to be. That's disrespectful of their time, and a waste of mine. I'll usually discuss that within the first couple of meetings with a recruiter or HR representative, and if appropriate I disclose it without prompting.
I agree with you about time wasting which is why it's one of my first questions. As in salary is discussed on first contact about the position.
I dont agree about disclosing my old salary. Why does it even matter? My requirements now are X which is obviously more than my old salary of Y. Only X is relevant in a conversation with a potential employer. They should already realize that money is a big motivating factor especially in Cloud architecture and DevOps. Many employers try to hire people for 6 months + for those positions so they know they have to open their pockets.
I always get the salary range even before I consider discussing the job with anyone in any real context.
They know anyone worth a damn is going to ask straight away anyways.
I never reveal my previous salary. I'm not saying I never will, but during recruitment in the past I haven't. When asked, I've redirected with stating something along the lines of the salary range I'm looking for and it was never more than that.
I'll keep leaving it to my gut to decide after judging the situation, but so far it's been as mentioned.
-
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@RamblingBiped said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
When it comes to disclosing previous salaries I've been pretty open when I am actively pursuing opportunities. I'm not going to devote hours of conversation and meetings with an organization just to find out the pay and benefits are not where they need to be. That's disrespectful of their time, and a waste of mine. I'll usually discuss that within the first couple of meetings with a recruiter or HR representative, and if appropriate I disclose it without prompting.
I agree with you about time wasting which is why it's one of my first questions. As in salary is discussed on first contact about the position.
I dont agree about disclosing my old salary. Why does it even matter? My requirements now are X which is obviously more than my old salary of Y. Only X is relevant in a conversation with a potential employer. They should already realize that money is a big motivating factor especially in Cloud architecture and DevOps. Many employers try to hire people for 6 months + for those positions so they know they have to open their pockets.
They know anyone worth a damn is going to ask straight away anyways.
Yep lol
-
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
I always get the salary range even before I consider discussing the job with anyone in any real context.
Oh yeah, at least a ballpark. Because that's the primary way that people/companies define the "level" of a job. A "Senior UNIX Admin" can mean $60K or $300K in the same market. Just one is a company that tops out at "entry level" and the other likely starts at "pretty darn senior." Only salary really clearly informs you what the real level and expectations are.
And as salary is the primary reason that people work, knowing the expectation of compensation is kind of the foundation of even being willing to have a discussion about employment.
-
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
I never reveal my previous salary. I'm not saying I never will, but during recruitment in the past I haven't. When asked, I've redirected with stating something along the lines of the salary range I'm looking for and it was never more than that.
I've walked out when requested before.
-
@scottalanmiller said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
I always get the salary range even before I consider discussing the job with anyone in any real context.
Only salary really clearly informs you what the real level and expectations are.
I like that statement because job descriptions are so ridiculous, they virtually mean nothing.
-
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@scottalanmiller said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
I always get the salary range even before I consider discussing the job with anyone in any real context.
Only salary really clearly informs you what the real level and expectations are.
I like that statement because job descriptions are so ridiculous, they virtually mean nothing.
I've seen IT manager for $40k lol. But that's a fake title anyways.
-
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@scottalanmiller said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
I always get the salary range even before I consider discussing the job with anyone in any real context.
Only salary really clearly informs you what the real level and expectations are.
I like that statement because job descriptions are so ridiculous, they virtually mean nothing.
I've seen IT manager for $40k lol. But that's a fake title anyways.
Probably one man IT guy for 100 employees lol
-
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@scottalanmiller said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
I always get the salary range even before I consider discussing the job with anyone in any real context.
Only salary really clearly informs you what the real level and expectations are.
I like that statement because job descriptions are so ridiculous, they virtually mean nothing.
I've seen IT manager for $40k lol. But that's a fake title anyways.
Probably one man IT guy for 100 employees lol
Most likely.
There are also situations where there are SME's that have 100 employees, with X remote business clients that have a 2-3 person IT department employees depending upon the services they provide. If that is the case, is the person managing the other 2+ techs considered to be a manager?
-
@IRJ It mattered in my most recent offer because I'm relocating from the Bay Area to the Midwest. I offered my salary up in the conversation because it was useful when discussing total compensation as it relates to what I'm currently making, and where I want to be with the position I was interviewing for. The cost of living in the area of the Midwest I'm moving to is drastically different than most larger Metropolitan areas, let alone the Bay Area / Silicon Valley. I think it helped them put together an acceptable offer quicker than if I had not volunteered the information.
I do agree with you though, your current salary shouldn't be a point of discussion or contention. If a recruiter or hiring manager were to make it a point to probe me on the topic it would be an immediate red flag.
-
@RamblingBiped said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ It mattered in my most recent offer because I'm relocating from the Bay Area to the Midwest. I offered my salary up in the conversation because it was useful when discussing total compensation as it relates to what I'm currently making, and where I want to be with the position I was interviewing for. The cost of living in the area of the Midwest I'm moving to is drastically different than most larger Metropolitan areas, let alone the Bay Area / Silicon Valley. I think it helped them put together an acceptable offer quicker than if I had not volunteered the information.
I do agree with you though, your current salary shouldn't be a point of discussion or contention. If a recruiter or hiring manager were to make it a point to probe me on the topic it would be an immediate red flag.
What if you said you made $100k higher than you told them? Did they really not know the worth of the position they were hiring for? Did they know what they were hiring for?
-
@RamblingBiped said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ It mattered in my most recent offer because I'm relocating from the Bay Area to the Midwest. I offered my salary up in the conversation because it was useful when discussing total compensation as it relates to what I'm currently making, and where I want to be with the position I was interviewing for. The cost of living in the area of the Midwest I'm moving to is drastically different than most larger Metropolitan areas, let alone the Bay Area / Silicon Valley. I think it helped them put together an acceptable offer quicker than if I had not volunteered the information.
I do agree with you though, your current salary shouldn't be a point of discussion or contention. If a recruiter or hiring manager were to make it a point to probe me on the topic it would be an immediate red flag.
yeah, location is huge - the housing difference is a complete killer.
3,000 sqft home in Midwest (not Chicago or Minneapolis) is $250K for a nice place (or possibly less),
but Bay area - 2.5 Million. or maybe less. -
@Dashrender said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@RamblingBiped said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ It mattered in my most recent offer because I'm relocating from the Bay Area to the Midwest. I offered my salary up in the conversation because it was useful when discussing total compensation as it relates to what I'm currently making, and where I want to be with the position I was interviewing for. The cost of living in the area of the Midwest I'm moving to is drastically different than most larger Metropolitan areas, let alone the Bay Area / Silicon Valley. I think it helped them put together an acceptable offer quicker than if I had not volunteered the information.
I do agree with you though, your current salary shouldn't be a point of discussion or contention. If a recruiter or hiring manager were to make it a point to probe me on the topic it would be an immediate red flag.
yeah, location is huge - the housing difference is a complete killer.
3,000 sqft home in Midwest (not Chicago or Minneapolis) is $250K for a nice place (or possibly less),
but Bay area - 2.5 Million. or maybe less.Chicagoland suburb, Schaumburg, 1,500sqft house = $280k
-
@JaredBusch said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Dashrender said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@RamblingBiped said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ It mattered in my most recent offer because I'm relocating from the Bay Area to the Midwest. I offered my salary up in the conversation because it was useful when discussing total compensation as it relates to what I'm currently making, and where I want to be with the position I was interviewing for. The cost of living in the area of the Midwest I'm moving to is drastically different than most larger Metropolitan areas, let alone the Bay Area / Silicon Valley. I think it helped them put together an acceptable offer quicker than if I had not volunteered the information.
I do agree with you though, your current salary shouldn't be a point of discussion or contention. If a recruiter or hiring manager were to make it a point to probe me on the topic it would be an immediate red flag.
yeah, location is huge - the housing difference is a complete killer.
3,000 sqft home in Midwest (not Chicago or Minneapolis) is $250K for a nice place (or possibly less),
but Bay area - 2.5 Million. or maybe less.Chicagoland suburb, Schaumburg, 1,500sqft house = $280k
that's why I excluded chicago and Minneapolis. I'm not sure about Kansas City - I'm sure there are places where 1500 sqft cost 300K+...
-
@Dashrender said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@JaredBusch said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Dashrender said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@RamblingBiped said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ It mattered in my most recent offer because I'm relocating from the Bay Area to the Midwest. I offered my salary up in the conversation because it was useful when discussing total compensation as it relates to what I'm currently making, and where I want to be with the position I was interviewing for. The cost of living in the area of the Midwest I'm moving to is drastically different than most larger Metropolitan areas, let alone the Bay Area / Silicon Valley. I think it helped them put together an acceptable offer quicker than if I had not volunteered the information.
I do agree with you though, your current salary shouldn't be a point of discussion or contention. If a recruiter or hiring manager were to make it a point to probe me on the topic it would be an immediate red flag.
yeah, location is huge - the housing difference is a complete killer.
3,000 sqft home in Midwest (not Chicago or Minneapolis) is $250K for a nice place (or possibly less),
but Bay area - 2.5 Million. or maybe less.Chicagoland suburb, Schaumburg, 1,500sqft house = $280k
that's why I excluded chicago and Minneapolis. I'm not sure about Kansas City - I'm sure there are places where 1500 sqft cost 300K+...
That must be nice.
-
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Dashrender said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@JaredBusch said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Dashrender said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@RamblingBiped said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ It mattered in my most recent offer because I'm relocating from the Bay Area to the Midwest. I offered my salary up in the conversation because it was useful when discussing total compensation as it relates to what I'm currently making, and where I want to be with the position I was interviewing for. The cost of living in the area of the Midwest I'm moving to is drastically different than most larger Metropolitan areas, let alone the Bay Area / Silicon Valley. I think it helped them put together an acceptable offer quicker than if I had not volunteered the information.
I do agree with you though, your current salary shouldn't be a point of discussion or contention. If a recruiter or hiring manager were to make it a point to probe me on the topic it would be an immediate red flag.
yeah, location is huge - the housing difference is a complete killer.
3,000 sqft home in Midwest (not Chicago or Minneapolis) is $250K for a nice place (or possibly less),
but Bay area - 2.5 Million. or maybe less.Chicagoland suburb, Schaumburg, 1,500sqft house = $280k
that's why I excluded chicago and Minneapolis. I'm not sure about Kansas City - I'm sure there are places where 1500 sqft cost 300K+...
That must be nice.
In Omaha 1500 sqft costs 90-150, pretty damned cheap.
Can you get a 1500 sqft home for $300K+ sure, with marble everywhere, granite everything, etc.
-
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@scottalanmiller said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
I always get the salary range even before I consider discussing the job with anyone in any real context.
Only salary really clearly informs you what the real level and expectations are.
I like that statement because job descriptions are so ridiculous, they virtually mean nothing.
I've seen IT manager for $40k lol. But that's a fake title anyways.
I just (and I think most people do subconsciously) consider "IT Manager" to mean "Entry Level Generalist." It's a title almost universally used for one man shops where the person is on their very first rodeo and mostly just hiring out. I've pretty much never seen a shop of any size retain that title, mostly because the stigma is so strong. If I see that title, I just assume that they are in their first posting after having interned or graduated, and probably after a year or so of mid-$30Ks doing straight helpdesk in a slightly larger firm and have graduated to the lowest rank of one man shop.
I had a friend, who we can't keep talking because she was so offensive to people in IT, who always bragged about her husband the "IT manager". The thing he did that was so brilliant and made him a tech god? He convinced the company to use email. He didn't implement the email or do anything IT, he just told them about email and got them to try it out. That was his laurels and his career had rested on it for twenty years!
-
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@scottalanmiller said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
I always get the salary range even before I consider discussing the job with anyone in any real context.
Only salary really clearly informs you what the real level and expectations are.
I like that statement because job descriptions are so ridiculous, they virtually mean nothing.
I've seen IT manager for $40k lol. But that's a fake title anyways.
Probably one man IT guy for 100 employees lol
Probably for more like 20-30.
-
@pmoncho said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@IRJ said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@scottalanmiller said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
@Obsolesce said in Salary, Responsibilities, or Title?:
I always get the salary range even before I consider discussing the job with anyone in any real context.
Only salary really clearly informs you what the real level and expectations are.
I like that statement because job descriptions are so ridiculous, they virtually mean nothing.
I've seen IT manager for $40k lol. But that's a fake title anyways.
Probably one man IT guy for 100 employees lol
Most likely.
There are also situations where there are SME's that have 100 employees, with X remote business clients that have a 2-3 person IT department employees depending upon the services they provide. If that is the case, is the person managing the other 2+ techs considered to be a manager?
SMEs are never managers, it would be crazy. A manager makes way, way less than an SME. An SME would never waste their time doing that, they'd lose too much money.
If you have two people who each need 50% of a manager's time, those are some pretty worthless employees. Like completely useless. Fire everyone, hire one or two competent people with no manager.
And SME with two more junior people who all work together would likely be a lead, but not a manager.
