Should You Include Salary Requirements on Your Cover Letter, Resume, or Application When Asked?

Creating cover letters is a way of emphasizing your accomplishments

---

A cover letter is a document that is sent a notification to sell your application with a CV attached to it. A cover letter or a resume is a platform where you get to prove the recruiter that you are the apt candidate for the placement. So, it is necessary that it is done and reviewed in the right way.

 A good cover letter is key to move forward in your recruitment process. That is why it is important that you write your application letter completely in order to make yourself an eligible candidate in the mind of the employer. Almost all of us wonder about what to include and what not to. Especially when it comes to the salary field, we feel hesitant to decide. 

The salary requirement mentioned in your cover letter acts as a first impression you provide to the employer and is also a deciding factor that may result as an aid for you to get into the interview phase of the recruitment process or may also end up in filtering you out the next stage. So, entering a salary requirement in your application letter is an important stage in drafting a cover letter. 

The inclusion of the salary requirement might restrict the view of the employer on your placement. But answering every field asked in the cover letter might increase the chances for you to move ahead with the process and so, if specified, it is necessary that you add the salary you are expecting to work for. If you ever feel like you don't know what to write about, do not hesitate to check dozens of career goals essay examples, to see what others are writing, and to get the necessary inspiration for yourself.  

---

THE EMPLOYER IS SILENT ABOUT THE SALARY QUERIES?

Most of the employers stay silent about the salary his applicants would want to take because it is too much for the first shot, the cover letter. Moreover many recruiters wouldn’t want to see you talking all money in your very resume itself. If your employer doesn’t insist on including your desired salary through any specification, then it is better that you ignore it. You may also add “Salary negotiable” to your application letter to save it for the interview. 

An interview is always better and space closer to your placement to talk about your requirements and necessities in terms of the pay. So if the addition of your required salary is not asked, then the better answer to the question if you should include the desired number or not is NO. Easy, right?! But what do we do if it is specified that you mention your salary requirement?

---

IS IT ASKED? WHY WOULD THEY SPECIFY TO MENTION YOUR DESIRED SALARY?

You might be insecure about being ignored by the employer if your cover letter is specific about money because it is a sensitive part of filling in the application letter. But actually, leaving out the salary expected field in the cover letter might end up in rejection. 

The omission of any specified detail in the resume makes the recruiter think that you have not paid much attention to writing the application letter. Perfect detailing must be given about every required information a cover letter is compiled of. Moreover, the salary details are like an indirect sample of your experience and working ability. That is why the addition of the salary requirements is very important if asked. 

---

HOW?

Every employer will definitely have a range of salary he would wish to offer for every designation though the applicants are left uninformed. If your application letter is filled with a salary requirement so much below the right price range, then the employer might consider you to be inexperienced. 

Same way, if your salary requirement applied as per your cover letter is very high concerning the optimum price he will be ready to offer, then you will be considered as a costlier and unaffordable employee. So, the inclusion of the right value of the salary requirement to your cover letter without upsetting the employer is an important yet tricky task in the process. But how can you sound right about money?

• Flexibility aids: 

Instead of specifying the exact figure of your salary requirement in the resume approximately, you can give your answer in a way that is wider and flexible. That is, by giving a vague range. 

For example, say your salary requirement is “Rs.47,000” or somewhere near as per your previous experience, instead of being so specific about the number, you can give a range in your cover letter. By doing this, you can put yourself in a wider category by the employer.

• Say for example, for using “I hope for the pay of Rs.47,000” use “I would wish for a salary pay between Rs.40,000 and 50,000” instead.
• Honesty is the key: 

The more honest you are in the application letter, the more likely you are to get the job. So, you can be just and straight forward about your needs, the optimum pay you could work for, and other necessities. This shows the employer your confidence and reliability. 

Check out the video
Interview questions answered by the recruiter himself: HR Talk with Ramit Bedi | CV Owl
Click to create your CV
• Know the Company well: 

You must know well about the company and its offers to avoid any kind of misunderstandings. The firm might have other monetary benefits for the employees like, health benefits, good bonus offer, paid vacation facilities, etc. So, the actual salary might be a little less after getting adjusted to these benefits. 

That is why you need to know well about the company’s relationship with the employees before getting into any misconceptions after you include a salary number which is relatively a bomb even after the various other provisions to your cover letter.

 By knowing well about the benefits the company is willing to provide you, you can also highlight their pluses along with the keywords in the cover letter. 

• Proper researching helps:

A good research about the company and its usual salary offer to the designations as per your qualification must be done before you get into mentioning your expectation of salary in your cover letter. So that you get a proper picture of the range in your mind. 



If you are going to add a salary amount you think is optimum for you without proper research, it might pave the way for your disqualification. You will either be remarked as someone too cheap or too costly.

• Don’t write more than necessary:

After writing one or two short lines about your salary requirement, skip the talk. Always make sure that your cover letter doesn’t sound more about money else that would give the addressee a view that you are too much focused on many than the other necessities and requirements. 

After you get selected for the next stage in the selection process, that is an interview after submitting a good application letter, you can talk about or negotiate your requirements in terms of money personally. 

• Think in a wider point of view:

Always remember that your thoughts fall opposite to the employer. You may be applying for the job by including the right amount of salary you deserve, in the cover letter. But contrary to your view, the recruiter will keep looking for the candidate who is willing to do the same work in the same designation at a cheaper salary for him to offer. 

As discussed, every recruiter will be having an amount or range of salary he is willing to offer for every job and designation based on the official necessity and experiences on his own. So if your price expectation is a bit higher than the others you might not be considered for the placement.

• Talk to the experienced: 

The most effective way of all is that you talk to someone in the same field you are opting to apply for or a professional in career guidance. Find some help before you decide. 

It is even better if you could find someone who is working exactly in the same company you have applied in. So that you get a chance to know about drafting your cover letter suitable to your job.

Enquire them about the salary range the employers must be offering for the existing employees. Talk to them about your experience in the field and about the skills you possess. There can’t be anyone better to guide you than the ones with similar interests and higher experience.

---

ESTIMATION:

There is a small method you could use to draw a vague estimation or a range of the desired salary for your cover letter. 

You can figure out an equitable remuneration number for your cover letter by the following steps. 

Write down the following after proper research,

•  The minimum salary you are willing to work for, for the same designation. 
  For example, Say “Rs.40,000”
• The minimum salary that is offered for the position you found after your research.
  For example, Say “Rs.50,000”
• The highest number yet upright number you could dream for.
  Say for instance, “Rs.60,000”
• Research and write the highest payment that is offered generally to the position.
  For example, we could take, “Rs.65,000”

 Now find the correct range all these fits in. That is the lowest number goes as the minimum figure and the highest one is the maximum number in the range.
 That is, “ I would like to work for a salary between Rs.40,000 and Rs.65,000”. As simple as it sounds.

---

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• It is always better that you are silent about money but if asked in specific, then YES, the inclusion of the salary requirement in your cover letter is necessary.  ;
• Always remember that too much or too little, both are disadvantages, the addition of the optimum number is the only key. Not more, Not less. 
• But always make sure that you include the right number in salary requirements to your cover letter after proper research about the company, you are writing to and the mandatory designation.

---

Your CV or resume is your first impression for any company. With the help of CV Owl, you can get a well-structured CV and your time will be saved. Everything on your CV should be written in a formal manner and in a precise way. You have only 20 seconds to impress your recruiter with your CV, make the best out of it. Visit our series “The HR Talk” where we help you know everything about your job interview from the recruiters.

Try CV Owl as we help you furnish a fully-formatted in a chronological order resume on our RESUME BUILDER or cover letter. You can also try our CV REVIEW SERVICE, through which you get a CV writing expert reviewing the insight of your CV and advising you so that you can make your CV stand out.

---