Kevin...it is reading comprehension and reality. As I stated, if I have two identical candidates, why would I take the one who asks for more? I along with others gave very reasonable replies to how to answer the question on an application.
And if you think "moving on is easiest way to get a raise" then you have a lot of growing up to do. When push comes to shove and you feel you deserve more money, then you come prepared with facts and examples demonstrating that. The moment you try to force the hand by using your presence as your only reason, then you have the employer's back against the wall, the natural human reaction of being defensive will kick in, and you will be seen as nothing more than a number with 1000 people behind you ready to assume your position.
This is anything but proactive.
Let's call a spade a spade, shall we? most for-profit EMS agencies don't give out raises, unless they are forced to do so. Simple economics, their goal is to make a profit, and increasing expenses (in salaries) when there is no increase in revenue leads to a net loss. So unless you can show a reason for them to give you more money (typically through a change in position, and we all know how relatively few opportunities exist in EMS that don't involve being on an ambulance), you aren't getting more money.
Independent 3rd party services are often in a similar position: if you aren't bringing in more money, why should they pay you more?
That all being said, I've worked for agencies that didn't give raises. Either the county hasn't done it for the last 5 years, or as a general rule, they didn't give raises. Suffice it to say, there was no incentive to actually stay at the agency. In fact, the only way to make more money was to apply to another agency, get a job offer, and then come to the director with your two weeks notice, and see if they will give you more money to stay. Not a great retention plan, is it?
Before I left Jersey, I was making a little more than $20 as an EMT, which was up from around $18 when I started. The only reason I got that was because the union had a contract, which guaranteed us a hire, 1 year, and 2 year pay rate. After 2 years the hospital didn't give raises. The only way to make more money was to leave for another agency. if you asked our coordinators, they always said "we don't have the money, and if you don't like it, feel free to explore other jobs, and we will replace you within 2 weeks." Like I said, not much of an incentive to stay with the agency.
The other thing is most agencies already know how much they will be paying their new hires. Either everyone starts at the same rate, or they give more based on experience, but it's usually not an arbitrary number.
I'd rather put a lower number on my application, so it doesn't get tossed immediately. Once I get the job offer, then we negotiate salary, not during the interview, and not prior to the interview. If we can agree on a number, I can accept the job, if not, then I can pursue other options.
But with little to no experience, your probably going to be starting on the lowest end of the salary scale, with no negotiating power, regardless of how well you did in class.
