I am compelled to ask this question as I have noticed with dismay that most of our fresh graduates with their array of qualifications and no work experience feel that they should start at the top of the remuneration ladder even though they don't have the requisite skills for the job.

I was invited to be a guest interviewer by a recruitment consultant who got a contract to recruit for a start up investment firm hoping the do major business in the power and agric sector and I was amazed at the humongous salaries the fresh graduates were quoting even when most didn't have any work experience to show. I am also dismayed when I see posts related to the above referenced on Nairaland and other domains.

In my own opinion,having a first class or distinction and a foreign degree is not enough.

This is peharps one of the reasons why employers have opted for the contract staffing option which has become common in the workplace. Because, most employers already know that investing in a fresh graduate (who is concerned with how much he/she will earn instead of building a career) by way of training will amount to nothing at the end of the day.

I hope someday that there will be a paradigm shift from this delusion.

I see what you mean deenee, but in truth, there is absolutely nothing wrong having certain expectations about your remunerations. Why sell yourself cheaply? When a company recruits fresh graduate, they are in theory, recruiting the future leadership of the firm. The individual recruited, must in theory, be one of the best among all available flocks, and given this, must be able to command a premium rate over the market average.

Any company worth its salt will be happy to throw the negotiating table open to a potential recruit, fresh graduates or not. Having experience is great, but it does not always imply superiority over little/no experience. In some cases, a matured company operating in a low growth industry might have its fortunes completely revamped by spectacular innovations contributed by fresh minds.

I have done a number of recruitment myself and the pattern has always been ---> Innovative ability > Experience > Degree.

If a fresh graduate can give me the first and the last in double whoopers, I'd happily pay a premium for him. Several top consulting firms follow this approach too.

Mr Denee, a nice one you asked here, but to be frank with you, it is needed, especially for those that know their worth (smart and equal to the task), if it is outside Nigeria, maybe like in the US and UK, no need, but here, employers will take advantage of your 'not being aware' of their salary range. You know what, these recruiters will just push the question to you so that you will probably state an amount that is below what they pay at that level, and then they will happily and 'without' conscience under-pay you.

Normally, in multi-nationals and trans-nationals, there is a standard, they will never cheat you, but our dear 'nigerian entrepreneurs' will be very happy to do that.

Basically, I think what graduates should always do is to know the range, and tell those employers when asked, meanwhile, gullibility is not encouraged, so they should try and desist from that. A case where a freshie having known the salary range of company A to be 150-200k, and when asked to state the amount he would want to earn, then with his stinking and gullible mouth will say 350-600k, such is bad! Aside that, no dealo in trying to get information as per the pay of the position he is interviewing for in a company.

Peace.

y wouldnt they hv a big expection after all d hurdles and stress in sch? who goes to sch to receive 30k or thereabt after graduaton?(they shldnt go over board anywy) And u r talking abt building career ? lets be realistic here, almost everytn we do in ths world is just to make sure there's alwys food on the table...so u ll prefer to wrk with a company that pays 50k over one that pays 200k all in d name of building career?(buildin career is good buh certain things shld be considerd)... talking abt job experienc, how ll they gain the experience if nt by being employd? (does experience fall 4m heaven) or u expect them to feel intimidated or cheap cos they lack experience?

different strokes for diff folks, anywy..

i think the problem stems from the recruiters.

i see no reason why they should ask such a question (How much do you want to earn?) during the interview.

if they do ask, i see nothing wrong in a candidate preparing well for such a question.

in an ideal situation, the salary comes with the offer letter and a candidate is free to accept or reject. (a fresh graduate wouldnt reject, most likely).

however, due to economic factors, companies have learnt that they can cut costs by asking candidates how much they want to earn (before preparing their offer letter(s)) because quite a lot are not aware of how much such positions attract, or they simply pick the candidate asking for less pay in a situation where 2 candidates are equally matched.

if the employers can change, fresh graduates will stop asking for salary ranges too.

yamakuza: i think the problem stems from the recruiters.

i see no reason why they should ask such a question (How much do you want to earn?) during the interview.

if they do ask, i see nothing wrong in a candidate preparing well for such a question.

in an ideal situation, the salary comes with the offer letter and a candidate is free to accept or reject. (a fresh graduate wouldnt reject, most likely).

however, due to economic factors, companies have learnt that they can cut costs by asking candidates how much they want to earn (before preparing their offer letter(s)) because quite a lot are not aware of how much such positions attract, or they simply pick the candidate asking for less pay in a situation where 2 candidates are equally matched.

if the employers can change, fresh graduates will stop asking for salary ranges too.

Agreed.
I have often wondered why the salary cannot be told to the candidate, or even advertised with the job as it is done in developed countries.
Some of the excuses given by HR people range from confidentiality to security. However, I don't see why you can't tell a candidate what the pay is, right at the interview. Same goes for entry level candidates.

The current practice gives an impression that salary is negotiable. So the candidate goes into the chat with high hopes of getting whatever they believe would be a good deal.

AjanleKoko:

Agreed.
I have often wondered why the salary cannot be told to the candidate, or even advertised with the job as it is done in developed countries.
Some of the excuses given by HR people range from confidentiality to security. However, I don't see why you can't tell a candidate what the pay is, right at the interview. Same goes for entry level candidates.

The current practice gives an impression that salary is negotiable. So the candidate goes into the chat with high hopes of getting whatever they believe would be a good deal.

As they say around here, Gbam!

if you're recruiting fresh graduates for entry level roles why are you expecting bags of experience when the companies themselves don't have openings for undergraduates IT placements

yamakuza: i think the problem stems from the recruiters.

i see no reason why they should ask such a question (How much do you want to earn?) during the interview.

if they do ask, i see nothing wrong in a candidate preparing well for such a question.

in an ideal situation, the salary comes with the offer letter and a candidate is free to accept or reject. (a fresh graduate wouldnt reject, most likely).

however, due to economic factors, companies have learnt that they can cut costs by asking candidates how much they want to earn (before preparing their offer letter(s)) because quite a lot are not aware of how much such positions attract, or they simply pick the candidate asking for less pay in a situation where 2 candidates are equally matched.

if the employers can change, fresh graduates will stop asking for salary ranges too.

I find it interesting when organizations do that. I've had to state my desired salary on a few occasions while applying for jobs. Still haven't figure le out why

Guess it doesn't hurt to ask prospects what their desired salary is but I guess you to do your research n find out how the average entry level salary for that profession and ask for something along those lines.

deenee: I am compelled to ask this question as I have noticed with dismay that most of our fresh graduates with their array of qualifications and no work experience feel that they should start at the top of the remuneration ladder even though they don't have the requisite skills for the job.

I was invited to be a guest interviewer by a recruitment consultant who got a contract to recruit for a start up investment firm hoping the do major business in the power and agric sector and I was amazed at the humongous salaries the fresh graduates were quoting even when most didn't have any work experience to show. I am also dismayed when I see posts related to the above referenced on Nairaland and other domains.

I hope someday that there will be a paradigm shift from this delusion.

i had to go back and reread OP's submission.

Egba girl:

I find it interesting when organizations do that. I've had to state my desired salary on a few occasions while applying for jobs. Still haven't figure le out why

Guess it doesn't hurt to ask prospects what their desired salary is but I guess you to do your research n find out how the average entry level salary for that profession and ask for something along those lines.

i think the key thing/problem here is how the information is used when its gotten, and not the process/act of getting the info itself.

what seems to surprise the OP is that those he has met were asking for double or triple "industry standards" , or of maybe what the company was willing to pay. perhaps they didnt do their research well, and were just guessing what they felt the company could afford to pay them?

using the Jumia thread as an example, i would expect that guy to ask for N50k if he's desperate for the job, 80k-100k if he's indifferent and anything above N150k if he doesnt really want the job. based on the figures on that thread.

thats just one way of using such info. [s]Getting to the interview and asking for N300k will be just plain crazy.[/s]

AjanleKoko: The current practice gives an impression that salary is negotiable. So the candidate goes into the chat with high hopes of getting whatever they believe would be a good deal.

so true.

yamakuza:

i think the key thing/problem here is how the information is used when its gotten, and not the process/act of getting the info itself.

what seems to surprise the OP is that those he has met were asking for double or triple "industry standards" , or of maybe what the company was willing to pay. perhaps they didnt do their research well, and were just guessing what they felt the company could afford to pay them?

using the Jumia thread as an example, i would expect that guy to ask for N50k if he's desperate for the job, 80k-100k if he's indifferent and anything above N150k if he doesnt really want the job. based on the figures on that thread.

thats just one way of using such info. [s]Getting to the interview and asking for N300k will be just plain crazy.[/s]

Right. I get you. It's ridiculous to do ojukokoro. Do your research well and be realistic. Especially in a place where there are 10 000 other people willing to take the same job for a lesser pay.

I quite agree that recruiters should be able to create a pointer as to how much of a range fresh graduates should expect and possibly negotiate for.

I recall that when I got my first job, I had four offers and it was really tough deciding on which offer would be the best not just in terms of pay but career growth and prospects. I look back now and I can tell you this for sure: sometimes an initial trade-off between career growth and pay actually benefits in the long run. I am a living testimony to this.

I will give an example to buttress my point. Three candidates that I helped interview for an analyst role for the firm cited in my original post asked for absurd packages. One even started negotiating in DOLLARS just because she has a masters from NYU (like we too don't have such and more from Ivy league schools), didn't have any work experience to show (even summer internship or placements) and funny enough her first degree is from a Fed Uni in Nigeria. The other started from 9m per annum with a masters from a red brick university in the UK. The offer finally went to the third chap who is currently training with GE in Malayasia (GE Capital is one of the core partners of the Power and Agri fund the firm will manage)

This said, I am also not encouraging employers to pay peanuts nor am I canvassing for fresh graduates to accept such from their prospective employers.

I quite admire and encourage ambition in our younger generation but it should be an ambition fueled by passion and not the crazy rush for material gain from the onset. Once there is an alignment between passion to succeed and ambition, money will eventually flow towards your direction in leaps and bounds. I am also a living testimony to this. I just hope I am able to change at least one person's orientation through this.
God bless us all