Filling out an application can be filled with land mines if you’re conducting a confidential search, and filling in an application online can be even trickier if the fields require a certain type of answer before letting you progress. This topic was a recent conversation on one of my professional e-lists, and what follows is a summary of my colleagues’ suggestions on how to answer (or avoid answering) some common application questions:
Name of Supervisor: “Job search is confidential. Will provide at a later date.”
References: “Will offer list at the interview”
Salary Desired or Salary Expectations: “Will discuss at the interview”
Even if your search is not confidential, it’s strategically smart not to divulge all the details of your salary history or expectations up front. Alternate solutions are to provide a range for your salary expectation or to write “open.” If the application is online and requires a single numeric answer, try using $1 to get through the applicant tracking system, with the reasoning being that, at the end of the day, few employers will disqualify a top candidate because no salary is specified. If your qualifications and background have caught their eye, almost all employers will call you in for interview and readdress salary expectations later.
Finally, another option for filling in the salary blank is to conduct salary research to identify the current market rate in your area. To start, Indeed.com has an option (on the left-hand side) to select a desired salary range to generate search results that include positions likely to meet the desired salary level.
Salary History: “Confidential” or “will provide at a later date.” This may be especially appropriate for an employee with an existing non-disclosure agreement.
With the strategies listed above, you have an arsenal of tips and phrases to help you through the difficulties of your next employment application.
Have I overlooked any other tricky questions? Email me or post your question in the comments section and I’ll offer my suggestions.
