Page 181 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

THE QUESTION LIFE CYCLE

your interest to talk about salary until the company has determined
that you are the best candidate and is ready to make you an offer.
Introducing the subject of money makes you look greedy and self-
interested (which you are, but it’s not in your interest for the fact to
become conspicuous). Second, you will be at a real disadvantage if
you reveal your salary or salary expectations first. Besides, you can
be assured that the interviewer will raise the subject of money, so you
have to be prepared for it.

Your goal is to avoid the money subject until the very end of the
interview process, hopefully after the company has indicated an
interest in hiring you. That’s because the party who names a figure
first establishes the starting point. If it’s you, you lose. If the com-
pany had a higher figure in mind, it will automatically reduce that
number to match yours. And if the company had a lower figure in
mind, the interviewer will tell you that your expectations are too
high. Sometimes they will eliminate you right away because they
think you won’t be happy accepting a lower salary even if you accept
the job. In any case, you lose.

So you can be certain the interviewer will ask you about your sal-
ary history, last salary, or salary expectations. Here’s where your
expertise with asking questions pays off. Your goal is to deflect the
question, often with another question. You want the interviewer to
tell you the range for the position, because then you can focus on
getting to the high end of that range. But you can’t work to the high
point if you don’t know it. That’s why you want the interviewer to
make the first move in the salary negotiation. Who knows? Their
offer may be more than you’d request.

It’s not easy to avoid the direct question: “What salary range are
you looking for?” Doing so requires practice and nerves of steel.
Penelope Trunk in her Brazen Careerist blog suggests the following
possible scenario.

The good news is that you have an advantage. The company needs
to hire someone—hopefully that’s you—but the company can-
not hire someone without also offering a salary. “So the cards are
stacked in your favor, as long as you hold your ground,” says Trunk.
“The more times you can fend off the question, the less likely you
will have to be the one to give the first number. This works, even if

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