Ways to handle salary information in a job interview
You are answering questions in an interview and everything is going well. And suddenly the interviewer pops the question, “How much salary do you expect?” or “How much do you currently earn?” Your heart starts beating fast and you remain focused on how to answer the question. However, answering this question is very crucial and can be answered very carefully.
Our happiness will have no end when we are paid as per our expectations. Unfortunately, people end up working in a company who does not pay according to our will which leads to anger, unhappiness and dissatisfaction.
The real question here is how to deal with salary question in an interview and how to negotiate the salary?
1. Gather all salary related information:
Before you go for an interview make sure that you have every information regarding the salary of the job you are applying for. Take time to research about the salary range for similar kind of job. You can search for this information on different websites.
2. Deflection of the salary question in the beginning of the interview is a good idea:
If the salary question pops up very early in the interview, deflecting it is a good idea. Answering this question at the end of the interview is good but not in the beginning. When asked in the begging let the interviewer that you would like to know more about the job responsibilities and requirements before discussing the salary.
3. Be confident:
Confidence is the key, make sure you are confident but not overconfident and do not make the mistake of boasting about your current salary. Do not showcase your ego in front of the interviewer as this will blow up your interview. Give answer to your salary question with a healthy level of confidence. This will also ensure the interviewer that you are aware of what you are doing.
4. Be prepared for providing the salary range:
This can be done in a various manner. You can say sentences like, “Based on my research, people performing similar kind of job get $X as salary. I want to know how much your company pays, is it same?”
5. Think about your desired salary:
Thinking about your desired salary does not mean putting an exact number in front of the interviewer. Instead, you can say the employer your desired salary range.
6. Discussing the salary range with HR:
One does not have to wait for the final interview round, the salary range can be asked during the initial interview over the phone with the hiring manager. Knowing the salary range will help you answer the salary question in the final round as well.
7. Turn the salary question to the interviewer:
During an interview, when the interviewer asks about the salary, don’t answer straight away instead, ask him or her about the range of salary. Knowing the salary range will give you the opportunity to negotiate well.
“What’s your current or expected salary?”
You have been looking for jobs for quite some time now and you finally find your dream job. When the recruiter asks you about your current salary, pause for a moment because it is necessary.
You must be thinking if you share your current salary or your expected salary, you would be getting few thousands more than that, which is true. But in the other sense, you might also lose your chance of getting more. When you tell the employer about your current salary, you give them a chance for paying you less. Instead, if you just mention your desired salary range, you might get paid more.
As mentioned above, doing homework about the salary range for similar kind of job is necessary. The reason here is that you can never win a guessing game.
So, these are some of the tips and tricks that you must keep in mind while you are asked the salary question in an interview. We understand answering the salary question can be difficult for freshers as well as beginners but with the tips mentioned above, you can turn the pass the interview with flying colours. Apart from the ways of answering the questions, your personality also plays an important role thus make sure that you are having a pleasing personality.
Author: Simli Chatterjee
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