SkyWater Blog

Did you know that in the state of MN, hiring managers can not ask about your current salary or salary history? Instead, they must rephrase the salary question to inquire about your salary targets. 

“What are your salary requirements?”  

That question – or any of its many variations – initiates one of the trickiest, most consequential decisions you’ll have to make when communicating with a potential employer.  

How should you respond?  

With forethought, a well-prepared answer, and a clear, confident tone, sure.

But what should you say?  

That depends… on a number of factors. 

If you write “salary negotiable” on the application, it might keep you in the running and buy you some time to figure out a more specific response. However employers are looking for candidates who understand the market, know themselves, and are confident placing a dollar figure on their professional worth.  If you just keep dodging the question by saying it’s all negotiable, you look timid and unprepared for the actual negotiation.  

At the same time, your answer needs to vary from employer to employer. Here’s how to determine – and adjust – your response for each opportunity:

Since it was first introduced on NBC's sitcom Parks and Recreation, Galentine’s Day has become a real thing, embraced around the world as a day for women to celebrate and support each other. For me, it’s also become a day of revisiting some very real leadership lessons shared by the show’s iconic lead character, Leslie Knope.

At SkyWater Search Partners, we specialize in recruiting for multiple disciplines, each led by industry experts. including the fast-paced, constantly changing IT sector. Here’s our take on current trends affecting the IT sector and our advice to hiring managers seeking top talent in 2024:

A well-crafted resume can be a job applicant’s powerful early advocate to employers and executive recruiters. More than a list of job titles and educational achievements, your resume must be carefully curated to make the first cut of the employer's Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and then catch the attention of hiring managers, headhunters, and human resources professionals. When written well, it showcases you, putting a spotlight on your most relevant qualifications and the value you bring, persuasively driving a narrative about how well your abilities align with the job for which you're applying. Wield it smartly and your resume can dramatically increase your chances of landing an interview and, ultimately, the job.

"There is no American history without African American history.”  

Sara Clarke Kaplan, executive director, American University Antiracist Research & Policy Center (ARPC), 2022 interview with NPR

“Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, "I Have a Dream," 8-28-1963, Washington, D.C.

Unemployment rates are low which means hiring (and retaining) talent must be a priority.

Hiring managers may claim they want to attract the best candidates to their brand, yet they are stifled in their ability to do so by what we call ‘internal equity’. This problem typically occurs when the hiring manager fails to hire an outstanding candidate because they can’t meet their salary expectations of $120k as the equivalent manager in the next department is only earning $100k. The result is that the employer makes an unsatisfactory offer to the candidate their business desperately needs. The candidate turns the offer down and is swiftly employed by a competitor willing to meet their salary expectations.

How long has it been since you last had a raise at work? We know from experience that companies are slow to increase remuneration levels, even with the increased signs of life in the employment market. If you feel undervalued, underpaid and long overdue a raise, don’t rush in all guns blazing. Take a deep breath and consider our advice below:

“There just aren’t any great candidates out there right now.” I hear it all the time, usually from battle-weary hiring managers. They’ve taken the time to craft a solid job posting, only to watch a handful of not-quite-right resumes trickle into the system. While it’s true that, depending on your industry and the role you’re attempting to fill, talent is still painfully scarce. But before you blame the lack of candidates, I have a question for you to consider:

As part of the sweeping employment changes that were signed into law in the summer of 2023, Minnesota’s new pay history ban goes into effect on January 1, 2024.  Why the ban and how will it affect the hiring process going forward?