You know that stage where the recruiter calls you and says, "What kind of compensation are you looking for?" I discovered today something that works shockingly well: don't give them a number.
This was advice I took from a number of websites on negotiating for a raise during a pay review, sites I had bookmarked a couple months ago when I was expecting a contentious discussion with my manager at ${LAST_JOB} over my pay scale. Yeah, I really needed those now.
And yet, I did. It works well for negotiating an initial salary, too. I was talking to a recruiter and he gave me that line, and I said, "I dunno; it's not really like what I was doing at ${LAST_JOB}, so I'm not sure what I should ask for. Why don't you tell me what you think is within their budget?"
He was quiet for a minute. Some recruiters work on commission, so sometimes they're looking for a good commission, too. "Hmm. I think they're somewhere between ${SURPRISING_BIGNUM} and ${SURPRISING_BIGGERNUM}. How does that sound to you?"
I said, "Let's go for it with my resume', and see what they do."
It was just so weird. When you go in, they're looking for cheapness and quality all in one. You want the best price they can give you. Don't underbid yourself: let them tell you what their budget can stand, and go for it.
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