What Salary Should You Quote in Entry Level Jobs?

Know about the average salary for entry level jobs

By Selipha Kihagi

Fresh graduates want to land jobs quickly, start earning big salaries as quickly as possible and transform to success at a very high rate. While this is ambitious, in the current Kenyan job market where getting good jobs is becoming a constant nightmare, this is what could be referred to as being overambitious.

Such was a recent case where a job seeker cited her expected salary as between 90 to 100K in a job interview for an entry level job. Now, while some organizations may be okay offering such an amount, the position and company she was interviewing for could not even pay half of what she was asking. So, as you may have guessed, she didn’t get the job. Why? The amount she quoted was plain crazy.

So, What Salary is Expected for Entry Level Jobs?

First, as a job seeker, you need to understand that entry level jobs are positions that demand zero to 2 years in experience. This means that anyone fresh from school (a fresh graduate) or anyone that has worked in different positions or internships for a period not more than 2 years is eligible to apply.

That said, once you have made your application and have been called for an interview, what salary does the employer want you to quote? The answer is simple, employers want job seekers to have done their research and quote a reasonable amount. And if you don’t have a range in mind, you can always leave it to the employer to decide by turning the question on them. 

“The salary for entry level jobs varies across professions. For example, a Sales position would pay on average about 25K plus commissions while an IT position could do 30 to 35K. Engineering or Accounting jobs could pay a similar amount or even up to 40K,” says Muthoni Ndegwa, a Client Services Manager at Corporate Staffing Services.

This means that if you are asking for anything way higher or way low than these amounts at entry level jobs, you are probably being too ambitious or selling yourself short and need to get your priorities right. Otherwise, you will have to keep waiting for a job that will never come. Before going to interview for entry level jobs, it would be wise if you did a little research to find out how much such a position would pay.

The salary you quote will depend on three things

To quote a salary range for the position you are interviewing for, consider the profession you are in, the company you are applying to and the industry you are looking to work in. For example, entry level jobs for Accountants in a Bank will pay differently from Advertising firms or those with NGOs. The same will apply across the different professions.

So if you really need those entry level jobs, do your research as part of the interview preparation. Call someone you know, make a call to a recruitment firm, scan through similar job adverts to know how much you should say. And whatever amount you stumble upon, always give the potential employer a range. Never one figure.

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