How to Discuss Salary in a Job Interview

How to Discuss Salary in a Job InterviewHow to Discuss Salary in a Job InterviewThere are a lot of areas that require a little bit of prep before a big job interview, everything from your biggest achievements and best accolades on down to your ability to be a team player and work under pressure. But one topic of discussion that can be a source of stress for the interviewee is the salary question. Even though its common to discuss salary during an interview, it can still be uncomfortable when it comes up.Why? An answer that is too high may keep you out of the running, while a low-ball response may stop you from making the amount you truly deserve.If youre currently in the process of interviewing for a new position, consider the following strategies to discuss salary the next time youre askedLay the groundwork ahead of time.You will likely have plenty of time in your interview before the dreaded topic of salary comes up, so use that opportunity wisely to prepare yourself for the negoti ation. Use everything you can- statistics, actual numbers, awards, education, etc.- to prove your worth to your interviewer, that way when salary comes up, youve already proven how much of an asplatzset you would be to hire.Pay attention to the way the question is asked.Generally, during an interview the topic of salary can come up in two different ways either youll be asked what you currently make, or youll be asked what salary you are expecting. Although these are two different questions, you can generally respond in similar ways in order to hopefully avoid giving specific numbers, for at least a little while longer into the interview process.Your first option would be to play up your excitement over this potential new opportunity, as well as the fact that youll be happy with a salary thats consistent with numbers youve seen in the current market (this generally works best if youre asked for your salary expectations of the particular job youre interviewing for).Another option woul d be to explain that youd be happy to come up with a reasonable and fair salary for this new position together, given that you would likely be covering some different responsibilities from your current one (a good response when asked what you currently make). Of course another way to go is to simply say that you arent quite ready to talk about salary until youve learned more about what your responsibilities would be in this new position.Be prepared to get specific.No matter how politely or elegantly you try to divert the question, its always best to be prepared for your interviewer to push you for a response anyway. When that happens, the best response is to have done your research on what the going rate is for people in the same position with your same level of experience and educational background (at least some of this information can be found by digging around on places like PayScale). With these numbers in your back pocket, always give a range, rather than a specific number, an d be sure to include that you expect to be paid competitively based on the assets you would be bringing into the company.If youre interviewing for remote jobs and are wondering if you should expect to be paid less than an in-house employee, check out this piece about how companies set salaries for remote jobs, and this one about whether or not telecommuting jobs really pay less.Know someone looking for a job? Refer a friend to with this link- youll get a month free service and theyll get 30% off