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[Confused]

The position announcement states: Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. At what point in the interview process does one tactfully ask what the salary range is? I have made it through the phone interview and have been invited to an on-campus interview (an invitation I've accepted and bought plane tickets for) and suddenly I realized that up to this point possible salary hasn't been discussed. Is it rude at this point to inquire regarding salary? Or should I just hang in there hoping the salary will be an acceptable one?  Also, should I discuss salary with the human resources department or the department head who will be conducting the interview?

Thanks.

[Anon]

Don't discuss salary until you are offered the position -- your very mention of it prior to the offer could eliminate you from consideration. In general in the search process, candidates are expected to maintain the facade that only intellectual, pedagogical, and altruistic pursuits are important. Failure to keep up this facade can easily, if mistakenly, brand you as petty or money-grubbing.  

If you are asked about your salary requirements, try to parry the question and speak in terms of determining an appropriate range based on the duties of the position.

[Researcher]

I agree with Anon. If you search on various job Web sites you will find the etiquette is to wait until salary is brought up by the hiring agency.  

I went through 3 campus interviews for tenure-track positions and only one called prior to the interview to discuss salary range. The other two did not discuss salary until an offer was made. However, if a university rep opens the door to discuss salary by asking what your expectations are, don't be shy. You don't have to state a number, but you should prepare a response (not sure what the best answer would be in this case).

Good luck.

[Good ol' girl]

By the way, if you are interviewing at a public university, they are required to post every employee's salary somewhere on the Web. Sometimes it is hard to find, just call their HR or budget people and ask for it (don't give them your name).

It is also fun to check out the salaries of your own profs.

[Researcher]

I've tried to find salary information for faculty at public universities and have been unsuccessful. The only information I've been able to find is average salaries for each position title, across the entire university. I have never been able to find salary information specific to a department or faculty member.

[Good ol' girl]

That's right, they hide it! Call the personnel and benefits office and (without introducing yourself) ask for it. You may get transferred a couple of times, but someone knows where it is. I have never been able to find it on my own, only from someone in their office.

[Assoc.]

At my state university, individual salary information can be found in the minutes of the board of regents meeting immediately after the beginning of the academic year. It takes a bit of hunting, but that's where I found it. It's worth a try elsewhere.

[Helpful]

It depends on the institution. I had one interview a few years ago and part of it was a meeting with the dean. No offer had been made at the time, but he raised the question of salary and in fact told me what I would be making if the position was offered to me. This conversation happened with all the candidates. This also happened to a friend at another institution and happened again to me a year or so later at yet another institution. Of course, the dean's figure is only the starting point. Later on you can negotiate further.

So it all depends on the place.

By the way, I didn't get offers at any of those institutions but my friend did. The dean there negotiated on her behalf with the administration and got more money than the dean thought at first my friend would get!