You have a job interview and you don’t know how to approach the topic of salary? Here are the best tips for answering this famous question during the job interview and negotiating your salary.
Talking about salary in a job interview is not easy. Especially since you do not know what the reaction of the person you are talking to will be. This is even truer when it comes to a job you care about. You are stressed because you want to be hired, but you have to talk about how much you want to earn.
Negotiating your salary when entering the company is crucial because it will serve as a basis thereafter for possible increases. So, how do you talk about your future income and choose the right arguments to negotiate it as best as possible?
First of all, don’t be afraid, all work deserves a reward. This is completely normal, and it shouldn’t be a taboo subject. It is important that at the time of the interview, you know what salary you are offered for the position, and you must also know how much you would like to earn if you were hired.
Before going to the interview, preparation is essential to know how to approach the subject of salary. Below are our 4 tips for effectively negotiating your salary during a job interview.
Find out about the salary before your interview
There are several pages or websites where you can find out about the average salary for a similar position to the one for which you are applying. See salaries by industry. You can also find out about the salaries charged by the company that interests you.
Find out about the average salary to be able to have a basis for discussion during the interview.
Not all companies operate in the same way: some of them offer bonuses or extra services, such as a pension fund or a 13th month’s salary. There are also boxes where the hours vary between winter and summer, which therefore affects the wages of employees. In addition, the vacation weeks are sometimes more or less important.
Find out about what offers the company you want to work with to know if a salary less high is compensated by social benefits. If you are well informed about the subject of income in the company concerned, you are less likely to make inconsistent comments and you will be more comfortable talking about this sometimes embarrassing subject.
Negotiating your salary during a telephone interview
Some companies take advantage of the first contact by phone to ask you certain questions. In particular, recruiters may ask you what your salary expectations are. They do this to find out if you fall within the salary range that they can offer you, or not.
In case they insist, you will have to say a number that suits you and add that you are open to negotiation. Rather than giving a round number, give a fork.
If the job advertisement mentions the salary and it meets your expectations, you can directly tell the recruiter that it is right for you. Otherwise, you can tell him that you want to negotiate with him given your profile and what you can bring to the company.
What to say when asked for your old salary
Some recruiters may ask you what your salary expectations are based on and ask you how much you were paid in your last job. To avoid this question, if you think it is necessary, you can answer that since you are changing companies, and the company’s demands are different, you would rather not answer and focus on the new position. However, you can also answer sincerely, to show your transparency to recruiters.
It is not advisable to lie to inflate the numbers, because the truth could quickly catch up with you, which would discredit your entire application. Indeed, how do you engage someone who cannot be trusted?
Salary Range Self-Assessment
Even though we all want to make more money, you should self-assess and be honest about the salary you deserve based on your experience and skills. Give a rather high salary range if you can argue and give “valid” reasons in the eyes of recruiters. Thus, they will be able to see that your request is coherent and you will have a better chance of obtaining the position, with the requested salary.