As I've mentioned obnoxiously many times, ...
You’ll be really glad (and very relieved) when life finally settles down!
I want to start by pointing out (yet again) that nearly half of all military veterans change jobs within their first two years after separating.
It’s not because they’re failing or getting laid off (let alone fired). It’s because they’re winning. They’ve figured out the corporate system, identified their networking strengths, and navigated their way to a better job for more pay and/or a better quality of life.
Are people really supposed to just apply for jobs and een go to interviews (and we are more than willing to move, so these interviews could easily involve travel) and just hope that the salary range is where they need it to be? That seems like a gross waste of everyone's time. But almost no jobs list salary ranges. (CA requires postings to have a range, so we've found some info that way, but a job in CA may pay significantly more than the same job in CO or NM or Idaho.)
Is there no better way? Glassdoor seems useless (though we haven't sprung for the membership level.)
No, don’t just fill out applications and wait for interviews. That might feel satisfying but it’s largely busywork.
There’s a better way, although I’m not familiar with Glassdoor’s paid memberships.
If your spouse hasn’t already joined Linkedin’s Veteran Mentor Network group and asked these questions, then he should:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4466143VMN members can tell him the salary bands for his industry and some of the companies. They’ll also describe the different compensation plans for a Fortune 100 MegaCorp versus a scrappy startup hiring Employee #28.
If he’s seeking employment directly related to his military skills, then he could contact O-6/O-7 retirees in his MOS/AFSC/AQDs for their mentoring and referrals. Even if they didn’t get along particularly well in uniform, they might be more professional in their bridge career-- and they’re definitely looking to hire people of known backgrounds & skills. That tactic might also work with retired O-5s and O-4s who’ve been at it for a decade, as long as they’re senior enough to have the executive insights on mid-level compensation and hiring trends.
If they earned his respect on active duty then they are likely to reciprocate when he contacts them.
As he narrows his informational interviews to specific companies (and possibly specific positions) then he could message other VMN members with detailed salary questions. Their answers (all by themselves) will tell him something about the company culture and his potential fit.
Eventually someone will respond “Send me your tailored resume and fill out the corporate application here.” That will get him a couple phone/Zoom interviews.
If he makes the cut after the calls (the interview process will tell him more about the corporate culture) then they’ll send him a plane ticket and reimburse his interview expenses.
At some point in the phone/personal interviews he’ll be asked to specify his salary range. He’s expected to do his own research (Linkedin/Glassdoor) but military servicemembers rarely have the experience or research to answer this question, so it’s all right to say “I can work with your salary bands for the first year or two, and that depends on the total compensation package.” If it’s a big move he could also say “... and my relocation expenses.” It’s even acceptable to negotiate the starting date or whether they’ll pay for an MBA, a PMP, or other professional certifications.
If he’s looking at a job with a security clearance then he’s expected to have all of that paperwork in hand and to be keenly articulate on the ethics hiring rules (generally six months after retirement, up to two years for a few programs). It’s even better to have a recent BI/SBI renewal completed to give the employer a few years’ head start before they have to pay for the clearance... and since he’s saving them at least $25K by doing that, it can be negotiated in the compensation package.
There's a company that is very actively recruiting him. After talking to them yet again today, he feels that if he told them he'd take the role they have in mind, it would be his. (They know he doesn't want to start until well into next year and have said they are completely fine with that.)
I’d be a little cautious about recruiters who announce “We’re hiring for this contract!” Sometimes it really means “We’re collecting resumes of the awesome people we hope to hire after they impress our client enough for us to win this contract.”
He could lose a lot of time (and mental energy) waiting for the contract to be awarded. Worse, they could say "We won the contract, but the terms mean that we have to lower our expenses."
He could even have a time-wasting “Thank You For Your Service” interview from a hiring manager who’s just scheming to meet their corporate diversity & inclusion guidelines.
These situations are typically easily detected. If they really want him then they’ll hire him now and move him around as the projects come up.
At what point, if any, is it appropriate to ask, "hey, is there a salary range for this job?". He's not prepared to accept this role, and likely won't be for several months. (He's also told them this, and they said that's also fine.) But if the pay is crap, it would be nice to know so he can just move on (and they can, too).
Is it appropriate to ask, during informational inverviews, what someone in a Magician 3* role typically makes when working at Hogwort's School**, if the call is with a Hogwort's employee (who may or may not be a Magiciann 3)? (Not the actual job title he's targeting. **Not one of the employer's current on his target list.)
In general, they’ll ask him about his salary history first, and that’s when he gives the answer about working with their salary bands.
Some companies will ask (before or during the first couple interviews) “Do you have any questions for us?” (Of course he does, because he’s researched the crap out of the company and the potential positions before the interview.) That’s where he’ll ask about why there’s an opening, how much travel do they see him doing, will he need to work shifts/weekends, about the 401(k) or pension plan, and about the salary bands.
The point of the questions is to get the company talking about their people, their culture, and their expectations. He’s getting to know them. If he hears phrases like “hard-charging”, “road warriors”, “base salary plus commissions”, or the dreaded “we’ll have to get back to you on that”, then their responses tell him a lot about his future work/life balance.