rzack

Hi guys,

Just want to hear your opinion. What is it the salary range for:-

1. Executive Assistant

2. Administrative Assistant

It is 10 years experience.

This is my first time working in US. I did some research in the website and it says the range is about 38K - 49K.

The area is Washington DC. I just don't want to make a mistake by asking too much or make myself downgraded for asking too little.

Thank you and have a nice day

whatever

My Sister is an administrator at a hospital and she earns $32,000 for a full time position in the suburbs of MA - about 25 minute drive from Boston. I'm not sure if this information will help you as Hospitals may not pay as well as a private corporation. Prior to this she worked for Computervision and I know she earnt a LOT more - probably more like the higher end of the scale you mentioned, but it was mostly data entry work and she had tight scheduals which I know she found stressful.

Your thread idea has got my brain working and now I'm wondering about how much
* Sales Executives/Account Managers * can command in the US.....
My DH and I both work in Office Interiors as 'consultants' which is actually sales, and the Basic has been between £30-£45k here in the UK (depending on whether you work for a manufacturer or dealer) + commission. I'm wondering if the US pay along the same lines... the cost of living seems cheaper in the US so chances are the salary will not just be £42k x exchange rate!! Wouldn't that be nice!
Can anyone throw a little light?

nathan barley

Admin Assistants, depending on the experience, earn between $20 and $60k in NYC, it also depends on the company; DC should be on a pretty similar price scale.

NC Penguin

Have you checked www.salary.com.? You can specify the job (by job title), industry and location within the States

Maybe this is where you got your info. from.

Are you registered with any agencies for work? If so, you can ask your agent to give you an idea of what ranges are offered. That's what I did.

Best of luck,



NC Penguin

Pulaski

You've got lots of good advice already, but it also depends on the industry sector that you have the experience in. If you have done ten years in legal, banking, financial services, etc then you're likely to find better paid positions than if you've spent ten years as an exec assistant for the sales manager of Amce Widgits Ltd.

I'd say that the New York market is dominated by the banking and financial services sector, with some legal and media, and DC by legal firms and government, with relatively little in the financial services sector.

Pimpbot

Thanks for that link. That was very helpfull for my future job hunting.

Yosser

Hi there,

I am not going to guess what the salary range is in DC, as I live down south and I am sure there is a big difference, but don't get fooled by these salary search engines, in my first job, I went into a yahoo site, and they told me I should be earning between $38,000 - $48,000. Yeah right I was earning approx $32,000 like nearly everyone else doing that posistion in Dallas.
Remember the economy is slow and companies are certainly looking at hiring people below their normal earning wage.

I went for a job interview 6 months ago, pretty big company, I done my homework, checked out there website, even drove to their facility to check it out, in the interview it sounded like a important posistion with staff of a dozen or so underneath me, their last question was "what is the salary you are asking for?"....I'm thinking I will go low as I really would like this job and asked for $38,000...and replied also with, "is that the salary range you are looking for?"...they said "oh yes". The next day I called, and was told they had giving the position to someone that was asking for alot lower salary?...go figure!

Anyways, good luck I hope you get the salary you ask for.

Pulaski

A classic error.

I have heard that you should never answer that question - I certainly never have, myself. If the question comes up refer to "a market salary" (or some such thing), then if they like you they'll offer you the job, and if you don't like the salary you can still ask them to increase it, and if they won't you can still walk away.

To do otherwise you can either price yourself out of a job, or conversely end up doing the job for much less than the company was prepared to pay. Neither is a great state of affairs.

Stumpyguy

... Or know what the salary range is before you get in to interview. I don't know why more people don't ask that question prior to the interview. This way if the salary is below your requirements you won't waste your time and theirs interviewing for a position that wont meet your needs.

The network is all - try to get to know people who work at the company you want to interview with before you start the interview process, they will be able to tell you things like salary ranges and also good points and bad points about the company before you commit to accepting the job.

Yosser

It wasn't my intention to give out my personel experiences for ridiculement, as everyone knows in job interviews sometimes you are put on the spot, and we all learn lessons from it.

I too have read on many websites the do's and dont's of job interviews, some give good information and others do not.

I had 4 interviews before I got the job I wanted at the right salary and I learned alot from just good ol plain experience what to say and press all the right buttons, but please do not give me a lecture on it.
:lecture:

Thanks

Pulaski

Gee, sensitive aren't we?

I didn't mean to either ridicule or lecture, just to pass on some advice that has helped me in the past.

Sorry for any offence caused!

rzack

Thats really good advice guys. Yes I registered to quite few staffing companies.

I called one of them, and they told me different from the website range given. But the good thing, they adviced me not to specifically put a price to it. Always put 'in between'. Like 37K - 49K and NEGOTIABLE. She also mentioned, at the interview, when they ask how much we wanted, I should ask them back "Are you going to hire me?" If they say "No".....you don't need to answer it since they gonna use the answer to said exactly what our friend here experience.

Most of the companies have this say "we offer equal opportunities"...which I think just in the matter of 'to be nice'....I reall had a bad experience with staffing agencies (about 10 of them) that never response to my resume. Sometimes I just wonder, is it because I'm asian, not american...if talking about experience, I have enough of it and the only staffing agency that called me for interview extremely impress with my resume and self presentation. When I asked him "Is it the fact that I am not American and never working in US, will be a SET BACK to the employees?"...He keep quiet for a moment and then said "YES"....so start from that day, I know I'm going to have a tough start to get into job.

Yesterday, I really stressed out and starting to cry and mumbling to my husband that sometimes I wish I'm in my own country coz' I know I will get super nice job and they will recognize my skills and experience. But oh well...this is the sacrificies that I made because to be with the one I love.

By the way, it might different experiece from each of us. I just hope I will get the job I dream

Have a nice day guys!!!!

Yosser

No worries pulaski.

I'm sorry for being a bit brash

I was just trying to help out the OP on this thread. I just want to add living and working in the U.S is very different from the motherland, when going for interviews here in a big city (I am from a sleepy seaside down in England) sometimes you are against hundreds maybe thousands of applications, the position I have now, I managed to beat 400 applicants, so I must of said something right. Its also hard to beat many companys mentallity of picking the U.S citizens first, dam emmigrants second!

rzack

Yosser,

My agent also told me, as I never been working in US its their advantage to offer and pay the lowest salary range compared to the citizens, which I think quite unfair. But who are we to say fair and unfair here.

But I always remind myself....no matter what, if you are good, people will respect and recognize your work .

Pimpbot

So what type of experiences have people had in interviews, when the interviewer, realises that "You aint from around here, are ya boy"?. Just so I know what to expect once I seek employment.