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Subject:Re: In Defense of Salary History From:Robert Plamondon <robert -at- PLAMONDON -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 14 Jun 1995 06:39:55 PDT
>I've talked to a number of people, each approaching the project from a
>different angle. I've sat accross the table from a fine writer with a
>journalism background who doesn't even know what hypertext is but wants to
>start at a minimum of $40K a year. I've talked with a marketing writer who
>says that she's interested in learning these skills but can't work for less
>than $40/hr. It's frustrating to spend time interviewing someone, thinking
>they might be a fine addition to the team, only to find out that their
>expectations don't match their skill in this area. Add to this the fact that
>they might find that they don't even ENJOY authoring online help in the long
>run, and the risk is simply too great to bet a higher wage.
Well, you should be advertising the rates you're willing to pay. This
is simpler and more direct than extracting salary histories for people.
This will discourage most of the experienced people in advance, so you
don't end up in the position of trying to convince experienced professionals
to take a pay cut in a booming market, and you won't have a parade of
people you can't afford to provide discouraging contrast to those you can.
