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Is my boyfriend right?

My boyfriend told me to put my wage requirements directly on my job search cover letter rather than waste everyone's time by going to a job interview and then discussing salary requirements.

Public Comments

1. Depends on a number of things, including the nature of the job. For upper level positions, it is appropriate to reserve compensation discussions until well into the process.
2. Right! take what you want as your lowest, add 20%, then put a range near your number.
3. No. If there is a part of the application form that asks for you to specify, then add it there. If a company wants to be competitive with its compensation, it would have researched the market pay for the open position. You should also know market pay for the job you are applying for. You can check places like Monster.com for this, or salary.com has a wizard you can use.
4. Wages should be discussed after getting hired or just before the end of the interview. All ways put negotiable upon hiring on the wage line if they ask. The reason they ask that is to screen out those who are expecting high wages and to fit the person on the company's budget, more likely at the lowest wage they can get a person willing to work for them.
5. No. Numbers should come from the employer - sometimes they are surprisingly better than what you'd ask for. That is a topic where "he who speaks first, loses". You might eliminate yourself from an opportunity that maybe doesn't pay quite what you want, but could be a good stepping stone to a better paying position. Also, there are raises and bonuses. See what they offer and negotiate from there. If you can't come to an agreement on salary, you don't have to take the job.