Q:  I have been at my current job about 10 years and will be leaving to relocate to another city in the spring.

I am a little nervous about my job search since I’m in my forties and have not been in the job market in over a decade and a lot has changed.  A cursory look at what’s available out there looks like many of the available positions are entry level and I’m concerned about how to answer the “What are your salary expectations?” question on the application.

Any advice?

A:  Looking for a job can make anyone nervous. Looking for a job in a new city, when you’re in your forties and haven’t had to job search in the last decade, can make you really nervous.  So congratulations, you’re normal.

You’re right, the process of looking for a job has changed largely due to technology, but just like we all learned how to use our smart phones-  this is something you can learn and adjust to.

For today, let’s focus on how to answer the salary question. Here are some options:

• If you have little idea what the job pays or what a fair compensation would be, don’t give a single number. Instead try giving a wide range, for example $40,000-60,000.  If you DO have knowledge of the market, then you could give a narrower range.

• If you are filling an online application form and the field allows non-numeric characters-, you could be more vague and write “Negotiable” or  “Commensurate with market” or “Open”.

Either way, at your next available question where you are allowed a comment, you could explain: “Regarding salary question in Section 3, open to discussion about opportunity and other flexible benefits”.  Or something that conveys you know that “total compensation” is comprised of more than just salary, and are open to negotiate.

I don’t recommend playing coy by entering $000 or $1 in that field or leaving it completely blank, for two reasons.  One, if applications are digitally sorted, it’s possible that you take yourself out of the running by leaving an entry blank.  Second, if a human is doing the sorting, they may get annoyed at you avoiding the question.  So DO answer.

Next week, we’ll discuss resume formats.

©Copyright Eva Del Rio

Eva Del Rio is creator of HR Box™ – tools for small businesses and startups. Send questions to Eva@evadelrio.com