Preparing For Interview Archives - The Career Success Doctor

How To Answer Salary Questions In A Job Interview

Written by Natalia

Many job seekers feel uncomfortable when asked salary questions in a job interview. I had a phone call today from a friend who is currently searching for a new job, and he told me he landed two interviews last week. That’s excellent news! And then the question arose: “The recruiter asked me about my salary expectations. What’s the proper answer to this question?”

It is a fact that interview questions like “what are your salary expectations?” are considered to be among the difficult ones. You really have to be careful because your answer could either lead you to miss a good opportunity if the wage you propose is too low, or even miss the job if it’s too high. Other trick questions like this could be “what was your last salary?”, or “would you be willing to take a lower pay than what you were getting in your previous job?”.
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So, how should you answer salary interview questions?

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Research

First of all, it is vital to do your research before the interview. This means that you have to learn as much as you can about the company including its compensation policies. A web search will help you with this if you do not know any of the employees in person. In addition, Ellen Gordon Reeves, the author of ‘Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?’ proposes to go straight to the source: “You can call the HR department of a company and simply say, ‘I saw a job advertised at your company and I’m wondering what the entry-level salary is for this department.’”

Of course, I am assuming here that you have already done your homework, and you know what salary to expect for this position according to the industry, your location, skills and experience.

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Diplomacy

Unless you are a psychic, you can’t possibly know the exact figure the recruiter has in mind. That’s why it is a good idea to give a diplomatic answer ‘throwing the ball back’ to the interviewer. Don’t be too open though (like “I’m willing to take whatever you give”), as you don’t want to sound weak.

A good example could be saying that you need more information about the job responsibilities before discussing salary. You could also ask the interviewer back what the company typically offers to someone with your qualifications, or what is budgeted for this position.

Always remember that what we say is not the only important thing. How we say it is quite significant as well. Your body language, your voice, your pauses and the way you talk are crucial to communicate your message. You don’t want to sound aggressive, right?

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Set a range

If they insist on a figure from you, it is best if you reply with a range. This will give you room for negotiation in case what you have in mind does not agree with what the company is offering. This is where all the research you have done becomes handy.

You could say something like “Based on the industry rates, my skill-set and previous experience, my requirements are in the $55.000 – $60.000 range, depending on the scope of work. Is that the range you had in mind?”

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Room for negotiation

Supposing you did your homework, the range you proposed was an acceptable one. Nevertheless, you will probably be offered a salary closer to the low end of your range. That is why it is wise to structure your proposal in a way that there is room for a counter-offer, in case you are not happy with the compensation the recruiter suggests. Lisa Gates in her article on The Daily Muse explains perfectly how to wiggle.

Negotiation conversations are made up of anchors (putting a number on the table), counteroffers, and concessions. Simplifying wildly, you need to know two things—your target (what you really want) and your reservation point (your walkaway or resentment number).

Remember to never try to negotiate anything until there really is an offer on the table.

Also, don’t forget that salary is not the only aspect of a job offer. Bonuses, employee benefits, or even share percentages are also parts of the package. If the benefits are more than you had expected, maybe a slightly lower salary isn’t so bad. On the other hand, if they are less you could use that as a justification for a higher salary.

For further reading on how to answer salary questions in a job interview, I have two more articles for you:
– The first one is by Aimee Bateman on Undercover Recruiter
– The second one, on BioSpace, by Carole Martin, provides some really good examples of Q&A’s

Preparing For Job Interviews: 6 Secrets You Should Know About

Written by Natalia

Are you preparing for job interviews? Whether it is due to New Year resolutions and making plans, or because in January people are extremely motivated to achieve success in every aspect of their lives (including their career), or just that a New Year means a change and a new beginning for lots of people, the fact is that January is certainly one of the months that job hunting thrives.

If you’re looking for a change and are currently searching for a new job, you will soon need to start preparing for job interviews. You might even have some scheduled already. If that’s the case, you will surely find this article in Careerealism to be really helpful. The author, Anna Johnson, shares 6 secrets “for crushing job interviews“.

Although it is mentioned in the article (of course!), I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to do your homework! The more information you have about the company and its employees, the better you can prepare yourself and ace your interview.

However, you should keep in mind that this is a two-way road. You will get ‘googled’ too! That is why it’s so important to keep your social profiles, and any online information about you, always ‘clean’. Maybe having your Facebook photos from the New Year’s Eve crazy party viewable publicly is not really a good idea.

“Interviews are like spending the holidays with the in-laws – a necessary evil that’s never as bad (ok, rarely) as you’ve worked it up to be in your mind. I swear, I used to get hives at the thought of an interview until, by some twist of fate, the roles were reversed and I actually became an interviewer myself (bwahaha – insert evil grin here!).

However, I’ve come to learn that, contrary to popular belief, the interviewer isn’t out to set you up for failure… who knew? So, as a show of good faith, I’ll give you some of my best learned secrets from the other side of the curtain. Here are six secrets for crushing job interviews”

Read the whole article here: “6 Secrets For Crushing Job Interviews”

Another source that you might find useful is this “Interview Cheat Sheet” from The Daily Muse. You can print it and have it with you, in order that you won’t forget anything.

So, give yourself enough time for preparing for job interviews, have faith in yourself and your capabilities, be confident, calm yourself and, as Anna Johnson beautifully closed her article, “Que sera, sera!”…

If You’re Preparing For Interview, Here’s Something You Need To Know

Written by The Career Success Doctor

If you’re preparing for interview, it’s easy to focus on the material – the questions they might ask and the words and phrases you’ll use to answer them. While that’s a valid part of any interview preparation, there are things that you can do that will totally transform how you perform at interview.

But you also have to pay attention to body language, which is what this TED talk by Amy Cuddy is all about. Funnily enough, it follows on nicely from a post I wrote last week on the hidden wisdom of your body. I had no awareness of this video when I wrote it – I heard about it a few hours after I wrote the post – but sychornicity is a wonderful thing.

Cuddy’s message is fake it till you become it. Your body language profoundly influences how others see you and how you see yourself. As long you are preparing for interview, spend 2 minutes a day practising power poses and get the job of your dreams – seems worth it to me.