A few weeks back I asked if you had career questions, and several people responded with important queries about salary, job interviews, first jobs, fundraising and more.

In today’s blog post, I respond to a few of the questions. I also ask my network of career experts for their perspective too.

First up: salary and the job application process. 

For salary advice, I turned to Amanda Augustine, a career consultant and expert for TheLadders, a popular job search tool.

Question from John in Columbus, Ohio:

What do you enter into an online application form that requests a desired salary?

Amanda’s answer:

Type in “negotiable” or “open to negotiation.” If you must enter a numeric value for your salary requirements, do not put in “0.” Recruiters know that entering 0 is the same as dodging the question and you risk the chance of being weeded out of the application pile. Instead, identify the average compensation range for the role you’re interested in and choose a number towards the lower end of your range. Remember, this is just a starting point for negotiations.

Question from Meghan in Pennington, New Jersey:

Should you incorporate your salary requirements in a cover letter or other document when the job posting asks for it? If so, how do you do it?

Amanda’s answer:

If the job posting requests that you include your salary requirements, it’s in your best interest to include something in the cover letter. You don’t want the recruiter or hiring manager to think you can’t follow directions. However, you don’t necessarily need to provide an exact figure. You can say that you expect to be paid fairly based on the current market value for this role, and you’ll be happy to discuss an exact figure during the interview when you’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the role and its responsibilities.

Thanks for the great salary insights, Amanda!

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Next topic: Job interviews.

Question from Davonte Bradley in Mechanicsville, VA:

Next topic: Make an impact as a rookieQuestion: Priyanka in New Delhi, India

I’ve landed a job at Google which I’m excited about! How can I maximize learning even in a big company where the work might not be as hands-on?

For insights, I turned to Heather Huhman at Come Recommended, an HR and career advice website.

Heather’s answer:

Big companies offer a well-established company culture and can often have more well-established practices for completing tasks. This level of guidance can be beneficial for building your own skill set.

In addition, big companies offer more opportunities to network with a variety of professionals (more employees to get coffee with!) and often offer more room for professional advancement or full-time employment (although small companies may offer you a more accessible arena in which to prove yourself to the boss).

(More advice from Heather)

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Final topic: Fundraising

Question from Peter in Akron, Ohio:

How can I more effectively reach potential networks and donors for my organization?

My answer: 

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Thanks to everyone for the career questions. And thanks to Amanda and Heather for pitching in with advice.

Featured photo: Dennis Brekke (Flickr)