New Hire Pay

Establishing Starting Salaries for New Hires

Using the salary range associated with the position’s assigned Career Band/Level and Paygrade (CBL.PG), all new starting salaries will be evaluated based upon the candidate’s relevant knowledge, skills, and experience as this relates to the position’s requirements.

Determining Pay Rate

Factors for managers to consider when determining the pay rate for new hires include the following:

Pay administration guidelines.
Internal pay relationships.
Candidate's applicable knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Budget and legal concerns.

Starting rates for new hires meeting minimum job specifications should generally be made within the lower range of the established pay grade. When considering the pay of a new hire either through external recruitment or promotion, the background of the new individual should be compared to others in the unit to ensure that the new staff member is paid appropriately in comparison to incumbents. The table below provides guidelines for determining starting salaries and wage rates.

	1st Quartile	2nd Quartile	3rd Quartile	4th Quartile
Description of Minimum Requirements	Candidate is minimally qualified and less experienced. Candidate meets the minimum requirements of the position.	Candidate is fully qualified to perform all duties and responsibilities of the position.	Candidate is a highly experienced professional. Candidate possesses skills, competencies, and capabilities well beyond the minimum requirements.	Candidate has long-term experience. Candidate possesses well established skill sets and performance capabilities.

An Example

For example, a job classified as career band technical 1 with a pay grade of 22 (T1.22) has the following hourly rate structure:

standard hourly rate ranges

Based on the guidelines above:

Candidates with the minimum qualifications would be hired between the minimum and 25th percentile ($13.08 - $15.02) as they are generally less experienced.
Candidates who possess the preferred qualifications and are fully competent for the job should be generally hired between the 25th percentile and the midpoint ($15.02 - $16.97) as they are more experienced.
Candidates who are highly experienced and possess skills, competencies, and capabilities well beyond the minimum requirements and preferred qualifications may be hired between the midpoint and the 75th percentile ($16.97 - $18.92).
Candidates should generally not be hired above the 75th percentile so that you can allow for pay growth and future merit increases based on performance. This quartile is reserved for candidates with long-term experience and performance capabilities.

Need Assistance?