Is it appropriate to be upfront about salary before interview?

Nurses Job Hunt

Published

I was just wondering if anyone has ever been upfront about what they will be making before accepting even an interview offer? The reason I ask is because I recently accepted an interview offer to a hospital that was far from me. I paid a large amount of money for the flight there. I'm not saying this wasn't a place I wouldn't be willing to relocate to -- I absolutely was willing. However, I wasn't ready to pay that much money for plane tickets to find out that this RN new grad position paid not much more than $20/hr. (this did not reflect what I found on sites like glassdoor)

I understand that especially as a new grad, I can't really be picky about those things, and I also am aware that that pay will go up upon completion of the program. However, I don't see it increasing much more from that said amount. That just was not a salary I would be willing to accept even given the offer.

With that being said, if I had known earlier about the salary, I likely would have declined the interview offer. I want to be respectful of the managers' and staff's time, as well as mine. I don't want this to happen again. Is it appropriate to be upfront about the salary range I will be receiving prior to accepting a job interview?

Specializes in Emergency Department.
Is it appropriate to be upfront about the salary range I will be receiving prior to accepting a job interview?

I'd say no, unfortunately. It doesn't typically work that way, especially for a new grad position. You can always ask, citing your potential travel, but you probably won't get much out of them, other than "competitive salary" or something similar. This is definitely something to take into consideration when considering interview logistics and costs to be incurred.

Specializes in Med/Surg/.

Well I will disagree about asking but then I am a little on the brazen side....If you have to spend several hundred dollars to go on an interview then I would think you might want to know what pay would be for that job. It does not hurt to ask and the most they might say is we can't discuss this unless you are hired. My suggestion is talk to several of your nurse friends in the same age range and ask them what they started out with as a new grad. My guess right now would be 18-22$ no matter where you go....With that knowledge you can apply where you might want to live knowing about what you are going to make and you won't have to ask. Find a place that has the ratio of housing/salary and apply in those places. Just remember as a new grad you are low man on the totem pole....

Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.

One option to consider is seeing if your first interview can be via Skype or FaceTime. I've moved across the country twice for jobs and always do a phone interview first. This could help you figure out if it would even be a position you were interested without flying out blindly, and then if you are asked for a second in person interview it may be viewed as less tacky/inappropriate if you were to ask the recruiter at that point regarding pay.

One option to consider is seeing if your first interview can be via Skype or FaceTime. I've moved across the country twice for jobs and always do a phone interview first. This could help you figure out if it would even be a position you were interested without flying out blindly, and then if you are asked for a second in person interview it may be viewed as less tacky/inappropriate if you were to ask the recruiter at that point regarding pay.

Unfortuntaely, everytime I've asked if its possible to get a skype interivew they've said no, especially since its a new grad residency. i've even gotten sassy replies like "this is a very competitive position, you're lucky to even get an interview" from managers (declined that position lol).

+ Add a Comment