I Requested ChatGPT How you can Reply Wage Expectations in an Electronic mail — Right here’s What I Obtained

Like most job seekers, I’ve needed to reply the dreaded wage expectation query over electronic mail.

Regardless of what number of occasions I’ve performed it, it’s nonetheless nerve-wracking to place a quantity on the market. What if I undercut myself as a result of my quantity was too low? Or worse, what if I miss out on the job alternative as a result of my wage expectation was too excessive?

Apart from the nervousness I really feel excited about the end result, the opposite difficult a part of the method is writing the precise wage expectation electronic mail (or getting ready the script I’d use if this dialogue had been taking place nose to nose).

I are inclined to overthink what to say throughout powerful conversations and may discover myself writing and rewriting one thing like a wage negotiation electronic mail for over an hour.

So, I requested an professional how you can reply wage expectations over electronic mail — after which I put ChatGPT to the check to see if it might write the e-mail for me.

Desk of Contents

Latest pay transparency legal guidelines in a number of states, together with California and New York, require firms to incorporate a task’s wage vary within the job posting. If there’s a vary listed, you need to use that as a baseline for the wage you need to request.

2. Analysis wage knowledge.

If there isn’t a wage vary listed on the job posting to your position, you may analysis common salaries for the position utilizing web sites like PayScale or Wage.com.

If the corporate is sufficiently big, there may additionally be knowledge from present and former workers who’ve shared their salaries on web sites like Glassdoor.

It’s additionally necessary to contemplate the business of the position you’re making use of for. Tech salaries differ from authorities or nonprofit salaries, for instance, so the business you’re interviewing in impacts your goal wage.

3. Consider your expertise and present wage.

As soon as you realize the wage vary to your position, contemplate your individual expertise to determine what you need to ask for.

You’ll possible goal a wage greater than your present one — or, on the very least, the identical fee, assuming this can be a position you’re very concerned with.

You may additionally be open to a decrease wage than your present one for a number of causes.

Possibly you’re making a profession pivot or switching roles, and the expertise is extra necessary. Or maybe the corporate affords advantages that make up for the decrease base pay.

Utilizing your analysis on business salaries in addition to your present wage, it’s best to have a good suggestion of your goal wage. Give you a spread that you just’d settle for, ensuring you have got a minimal that you just’d be proud of.

4. Put together a counteroffer.

The wage expectations dialog sometimes comes up at first of the interview course of, however it’s by no means too early to consider what sort of give you’d be proud of.

Begin excited about wage negotiation and contemplate what you’d be prepared to barter on, whether or not that’s the bottom wage or different advantages. Issues like inventory choices, extra trip days, or a hybrid work schedule could all be negotiable.

To seek out out precisely how you can reply the wage expectation query, I talked to Nick Smith, a tech expertise acquisition specialist. Right here’s what he has to say.

1. Have the dialog early.

Smith emphasizes the necessity to have this dialog early within the course of. “It ought to be performed in your first name with the recruiter or preliminary level of contact,” he states.

Whereas the wage expectations query is normally requested by a recruiter through the screening course of, you may be introduced with this query on the job utility or in an preliminary electronic mail.

For this reason you’ll must have a script and reply ready.

2. Set up a minimal.

After conducting analysis, it’s best to know what the going fee is to your place and business. Use that quantity as a baseline and regulate based mostly in your expertise and what you realize concerning the position you’re interviewing for.

“Having the hiring workforce settle for the minimal of your compensation window is completely essential,” says Smith.

That stated, you should be affordable about your ask. Identical to you have got a minimal quantity in thoughts, hiring managers even have their restrict.

“Hiring groups will stroll away if you happen to don’t have a grounded quantity in thoughts,” Smith states.

3. Talk your worth prop.

Subsequent, you have got to have the ability to talk to the hiring workforce why you’re anticipating a sure wage vary. Justify your required wage with market analysis and by demonstrating the worth you’d convey to the position and firm.

Smith suggests writing one thing alongside the traces of this in a wage expectations electronic mail:

“Primarily based on the suggestions given to me by the hiring workforce, my projected position and influence on the workforce/org/firm, and market analysis, I’d gladly settle for X and withdraw myself from my remaining interviews elsewhere.”

4. Categorical gratitude.

When you’re anticipating this place, Smith additionally suggests exhibiting appreciation and a want to maneuver ahead. You will be assured and agency with out dropping gratitude for the method.

“The way you body issues is as necessary as what you’re saying,” he says.

To precise gratitude in a wage expectations electronic mail, you may say one thing so simple as, “I’m excited concerning the alternative and stay up for subsequent steps.”

Picture Supply

1. Wage Expectations Electronic mail: Wage Vary

Right here is the primary immediate I gave ChatGPT.

And right here’s the chatbot’s response (warning: it’s a protracted one!):

There are a few issues I’d do to enhance this electronic mail.

For starters, it’s actually lengthy. Whereas it’s necessary to speak your pleasure for the position and underscore your {qualifications}, this electronic mail buries the lead, for my part.

If I had been scripting this, I’d minimize out a number of the fluff and get to the purpose sooner.

Second, for the reason that wage vary listed on this job posting is so vast, I’d personally slim it down much more.

ChatGPT form of did this by writing that it’s concentrating on the “higher vary of the acknowledged bracket,” however that leaves some ambiguity on the desk.

2. Wage Expectations Electronic mail: Setting a Minimal

For my subsequent immediate, I need to slim down the wage vary and create a minimal compensation window, as Smith suggests.

Right here’s what I requested ChatGPT to jot down:

Right here’s what ChatGPT wrote. The response was fairly much like the earlier one, so I outlined the part that the chatbot wrote in a different way:

Apart from the size of this electronic mail (I’ll tackle that subsequent), I believe the adjustment to the wage expectation portion is healthier.

You might not need to throw out a particular quantity this early on within the interview course of. However, doing so lets the hiring workforce know whether or not or to not transfer ahead.

It additionally helps you determine if this place is value pursuing. When you have an absolute minimal wage vary that you just’ll settle for, it’s value sharing that early on so that you don’t waste your time.

3. Wage Expectations Electronic mail: Quick Electronic mail

Now, it’s time to handle the size. I requested ChatGPT to jot down a shorter electronic mail and acquired particular concerning the size:

Right here’s what it generated:

The size and construction of this electronic mail are a lot better. It’s succinct whereas checking off all of the containers of an efficient wage expectations electronic mail.

When speaking about wage, I’d personally like to emphasise the worth and expertise I’d convey to a task. Speaking your worth proposition can be one thing Smith suggests doing when sharing your wage expectations.

4. Wage Expectations Electronic mail: Speaking Worth

Retaining the above in thoughts, I gave ChatGPT one other immediate:

And right here’s what it wrote:

Usually, I believe this electronic mail works properly. That is far more aligned with how I’d write a wage expectations electronic mail.

It emphasizes my pleasure concerning the alternative, leads into why I’m certified for this place, and clearly states my minimal desired wage. I additionally like that it reiterates my worth prop and showcases confidence in my experience.

Lastly, in all of those emails, ChatGPT included a line about being open to discussing different elements of the compensation bundle, which communicates flexibility.

When you’re open to negotiation for the proper place, this can be a sensible aspect to incorporate in your electronic mail.

5. Wage Expectations Electronic mail: Deflecting the Wage Expectations

For my last immediate, I wished to see how ChatGPT would write an electronic mail within the state of affairs the place I need to deflect the wage expectation query.

As Smith steered earlier, this dialog is healthier to have in individual as electronic mail is “impersonal and lacks nuance.” You may additionally need to study extra concerning the position earlier than you share a particular quantity.

Right here’s what ChatGPT wrote:

Whereas this electronic mail is somewhat verbose nonetheless (to be honest, I by no means specified a sure tone I need it to emulate), it does a very good job of deflecting the query.

The e-mail states that whereas I’m anticipating the position, I need to have this dialog later within the course of once I’m extra knowledgeable about every thing this position will entail.

If you wish to delay the wage dialogue, you may additionally use this time to ask questions concerning the wage and price range. That’s one thing that this AI-generated electronic mail didn’t embody, however that is what I’d add if I had been scripting this.