I Requested ChatGPT Learn how to Reply Wage Expectations in an E mail — Right here’s What I Obtained

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

Irrespective of what number of instances I’ve achieved 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 anxiousness I really feel occupied with the result, the opposite difficult a part of the method is writing the precise wage expectation electronic mail (or making ready the script I’d use if this dialogue had been taking place head to head).

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

So, I requested an skilled learn how to reply wage expectations over electronic mail — after which I put ChatGPT to the take a look at to see if it might write the e-mail for me.

Desk of Contents

Deciding Your Wage Expectations

Earlier than you may even focus on wage expectations with the hiring workforce, it’s important to provide you with your goal quantity.

It’s essential to have a desired wage in thoughts earlier than you begin interviewing with an organization so you should use it as a information all through the method.

Based mostly on my expertise, right here’s learn how to provide you with a wage expectation in 4 steps.

1. Test the job posting.

Earlier than you provide you with your wage expectation, reference the unique job posting.

Current pay transparency legal guidelines in a number of states, together with California and New York, require corporations to incorporate a job’s wage vary within the job posting. If there’s a vary listed, you should 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 staff who’ve shared their salaries on web sites like Glassdoor.

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

3. Consider your expertise and present wage.

As soon as you recognize the wage vary to your position, take into account your personal expertise to determine what you need to ask for.

You’ll seemingly goal a wage larger than your present one — or, on the very least, the identical price, assuming this can be a position you’re very curious about.

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 essential. Or maybe the corporate provides advantages that make up for the decrease base pay.

Utilizing your analysis on trade salaries in addition to your present wage, you must have a good suggestion of your goal wage. Give you a variety that you just’d settle for, ensuring you could have a minimal that you just’d be pleased with.

4. Put together a counteroffer.

The wage expectations dialog sometimes comes up originally of the interview course of, nevertheless it’s by no means too early to consider what sort of give you’d be pleased with.

Begin occupied with wage negotiation and take into account 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 might all be negotiable.

Learn how to Reply the Wage Expectation Query

To seek out out precisely learn how to 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 achieved in your first name with the recruiter or preliminary level of contact,” he states.

Whereas the wage expectations query is often requested by a recruiter throughout the screening course of, you might 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, you must know what the going price is to your place and trade. Use that quantity as a baseline and modify primarily based in your expertise and what you recognize in regards to the position you’re interviewing for.

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

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

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

3. Talk your worth prop.

Subsequent, you could have 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 carry to the position and firm.

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

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

4. Specific gratitude.

If you happen to’re anticipating this place, Smith additionally suggests displaying appreciation and a need to maneuver ahead. You could be assured and agency with out shedding gratitude for the method.

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

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

What ChatGPT Wrote for Me

As I stated earlier than, writing a wage expectation electronic mail is nerve-wracking.

I used to be curious to see if AI might ease among the stress of writing one of these electronic mail, so I requested ChatGPT to write down me a number of wage expectation emails utilizing the skilled suggestions above as steerage.

For this instance, I discovered a job posting for a place I’d be curious about — a Content material Advertising and marketing Supervisor at a tech firm referred to as ServiceChannel.

As you may see beneath, the wage vary for this position is extensive. It begins at $67,700 and goes as much as $125,900.

Picture Supply

1. Wage Expectations E mail: Wage Vary

Right here is the primary immediate I gave ChatGPT.

And right here’s the chatbot’s response (warning: it’s an extended one!):

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

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

If I had been scripting this, I’d reduce out among the fluff and get to the purpose sooner.

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

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

2. Wage Expectations E 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 write 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 otherwise:

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

You could 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 E mail: Brief E mail

Now, it’s time to deal with the size. I requested ChatGPT to write down a shorter electronic mail and acquired particular in regards to the size:

Right here’s what it generated:

The size and construction of this electronic mail are significantly 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 carry to a job. Speaking your worth proposition can be one thing Smith suggests doing when sharing your wage expectations.

4. Wage Expectations E mail: Speaking Worth

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

And right here’s what it wrote:

Basically, I believe this electronic mail works effectively. That is way more aligned with how I’d write a wage expectations electronic mail.

It emphasizes my pleasure in regards to 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 package deal, which communicates flexibility.

If you happen to’re open to negotiation for the precise place, this can be a sensible factor to incorporate in your electronic mail.

5. Wage Expectations E mail: Deflecting the Wage Expectations

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

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

Right here’s what ChatGPT wrote:

Whereas this electronic mail is slightly verbose nonetheless (to be truthful, I by no means specified a sure tone I need it to emulate), it does a superb 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 part this position will entail.

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

What I Discovered From AI

My greatest takeaway? Utilizing ChatGPT to write down a wage expectations electronic mail could be good apply in the event you’re at the moment job-seeking.

The chatbot can generate responses in seconds and modify with every immediate you give it, which forces you to consider what you’d write otherwise.

The AI-generated responses may present a framework if, like me, getting began with one of these electronic mail is the toughest half.

Nevertheless, ChatGPT isn’t going to generate the right response to your particular scenario.

It’s important to present the main points and let the chatbot know the tone you need to use if you’d like it to generate one thing near send-ready (warning: keep away from giving ChatGPT *an excessive amount of* details about your self or your place).

Setting Expectations

Setting wage expectations is crucial for everybody concerned within the interview course of. However earlier than you may share your wage expectations, it’s important to be ready with a quantity.

Solely you recognize what wage vary or minimal you’d be comfy with.

Remember to conduct loads of wage knowledge analysis, consider your expertise and expertise, and provide you with a script which you could confidently use when the chance comes up.

You should utilize AI that can assist you kind your electronic mail construction, however in the end, it’s important to fill within the blanks with your personal job particulars and wage expectations.