Ok, so how about this situation??
MM2 ELT getting out after 6 years (no LELT experience or anything like that). I have an interview for a chemistry job and I'm not sure how much to ask for if they bring up salary in the interview. If you ask for too little, they think that you don't think you're worth much, and you may end up getting paid less than if you had asked for more money. But, you also can't ask for too much, or they think you are being unrealistic. So, what is realistic to ask for? As an E-5, I make base salary of $26000 (very roughly), but with allowances, it's probably between 45K and 50K total for the year. The job I am going for is a company in Virginia that does water and metal testing, and they are getting ready to add a radiochemistry lab.
Any advice would surely be appreciated. Thanks.