[USER]

I have 2 questions about a administrator job I’m applying for at a community college: 1- the job has been posted for 11 days and I know they are off between Christmas and New Year’s.

Deadline for applications is January 7.

I have everything ready to submit but what would be the best time to do so strategically considering the holiday break and deadline?

2- a very similar job description but different title was posted about 4 days ago- this one lists a salary range but the other does not.

Should I apply for both? Finally- last bit of info, bc it’s a school, salaries are public and I looked up the starting salary for the previous employee- it was 5k more than the current range listed but was 4 years ago.

W/ inflation the range should be 20k more- how to I negotiate and broach this subject?

I add that I am very qualified for the position, probably more so than the previous person (based on linkedIn and articles written about him) any advice is appreciated!!!

[Karen]

I doubt it matters when you submit as long as it’s before the deadline. No harm in applying for both.

I would wait until you are offered the role before negotiating the salary, but if you are offered the role, you can’t say for sure that a person in that role would have received raises equal to 20k more – you could probably use their publicly-available starting salary to try and negotiate for more, but they may or may not come up.

(It’s worth a try!)

[Lindsay]

I work in higher education and have chaired many hiring committees. 1. The timing of your application doesn’t matter. As long as it’s before the deadline, the timing won’t be a consideration.

2. Yes, apply for both.

3. Argue for a higher salary based on how YOU meet the minimum and preferred qualifications, not based on someone else.

Use the data you’ve collected to aim high, but focus on what you confidently know (your own qualifications and the current job description).

I’ve changed position descriptions in my office but kept the titles the same (when appropriate) which has impacted salaries and if someone looked at my LinkedIn they would only see half of my qualifications/accomplishments.

[Diznee]

Apply for both but negotiate if there is an offer of the position

[Sarah]

Your online application will go into the pile of applicants to be considered, so time of submission doesn’t matter. Apply for both positions.

You can ask about the difference in responsibilities
during the interview.

The salary range is just that- a range; You may start at the top of the range and can certainly negotiate for that, and then you’ll receive raises from there.

Educational institutions aren’t like the public sector though –You will not have a ton of negotiating ability because they have salary schedules and you will land somewhere on that based on your education and experience.

Wages have not kept up with inflation and colleges know that, but again they typically have salary schedules that they go by.

[Author]

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