Page 49 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

THE RULES OF THE GAME

offer. Introducing the subject of money makes you look greedy and
self-interested (which you are, but it’s not in your interest for that fact
to be conspicuous). Second, you will be at a real disadvantage if you
reveal your salary or salary expectations first. Besides, you can be
sure 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 company
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. Some-
times the interviewer will eliminate you right away because he thinks
you won’t be happy accepting a lower salary even if you accept the
job. In any case, you lose. It’s not easy to avoid the direct question:
“What salary range are you looking for?” Doing so requires prac-
tice and nerves of steel. See Chapter 12 for ways to deflect money
questions.

There is one exception when issues of pay should come first, not
last. That exception refers to salespeople who are paid by com-
mission. With salespeople, the acknowledged desire to earn a high
income is considered an unalloyed virtue. Companies actually like
to see a reasonable level of greediness in their salespeople. The sys-
tem is set up so that salespeople make money only if they earn the
company a lot more money. Thus if you are interviewing for a sales
job, it can be appropriate for you to raise the issues of commissions,
royalties, quotas, and other compensation early on in the interview.

SELF-LIMITING QUESTIONS

These are questions that appear to put your needs before those of the
employer. You may have legitimate issues around matters of hours,
transportation, medical requirements, education, and accommoda-
tions of all sorts. But it is rarely to your advantage to initiate these

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