TRAPS: May also be phrased as, "What salary are you
worth?". . or, "How much are you making now?
This is your most important negotiation. Handle it wrong and you can blow the job
offer or go to work at far less than you might have gotten.
BEST ANSWER: For maximum salary negotiating power, remember
these five guidelines:
1. Never bring up
salary. Let the interviewer do it first.
Good salespeople sell their products thoroughly before talking price. So should
you. Make the interviewer want you first, and your bargaining position will be
much stronger.
2. If your
interviewer raises the salary question too early, before you've had a chance to
create desire for your qualifications, postpone the question, saying something
like, "Money is important to me, but it is not my main concern.
Opportunity and growth are far more important.
What I'd rather do, if you don't mind, is explore if I'm right for the
position, and then talk about the money.
Would that be okay?"
3. The #1 rule of any
negotiation is, the side with more information usually wins. After you've done a thorough job of selling
the interviewer and it's time to talk salary, the secret is to get the employer
talking about what he's willing to pay before you reveal what you're willing to
accept. So, when asked about salary,
respond by asking, "I'm sure the company has already established a salary
range for this position. Could you tell
me what that is?" Or, "I want an income commensurate with my ability
and qualifications. I trust you'll be
fair with me. What does the position
pay?" Or, more simply, "What does the position pay?"
4. Know beforehand
what you'd accept. To know what's reasonable, research the job market and this
position for any relevant salary information.
Remember that most executives look for a 20%-25% pay boost when they
switch jobs. If you're grossly
underpaid, you may want more.
5. Never lie
about what you currently make, but feel free to include the estimated cost of
all your fringes, which could well tack on 25%-50% more to your present
"cash-only" salary.
