Greetings!
Welcome to your latest issue of the Interview Expert newsletter.
Every issue explores the key elements of a successful job interview and strategic job search techniques - so you can master your skills and land the job you really want!
Remember the client example I used in Send A Solution from the last newsletter? Want to know what happened next?
Here's what my client said about her interview:
I met with the hiring manager and another manager. I never talked to anyone in HR. I sat down for the interview and there was only one manager in the room. (I was told that the other had a personal emergency she was taking care of.) I did a bit of chit-chatting and asked about their challenges in managing data. Then I talked about how I solved a similar challenge for another company. When the other manager arrived five minutes later, the first one said: 'You just have to listen to this.' I spent the next 45 minutes explaining in detail how I solved a similar problem. They were totally engaged the whole time. They asked me a lots of specific questions and talked to me as a peer. They just asked one formal interview question during the whole session. After the meeting (I can hardly call it an interview!), I sent an e-mail to both managers responding to one of their last questions in more detail. |
Answering The Salary Question
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This is one of the key questions that interviewers ask. They need to know whether the company can afford you. So, it's often used in telephone screening interviews to determine right away whether you are a viable candidate. You need to answer this question directly.
Start by researching appropriate salary ranges using information from industry associations and trade publications. Talk to people in your network. Bear in mind that certain industries pay towards the high or low end of these ranges. And, the level of job can affect earning opportunities.
If you are concerned about locking yourself into a tight salary range, simply make it wider. Just be sure that you could realistically afford to live at the bottom of your range.
Based on your research, state a salary range. Tell them where you see yourself fitting into that range, given your experience and skills. After responding, ask them directly if that range fits with their existing compensation structure. If it doesn't, ask them to tell you about their range.
Use these sample wordings as a guide.
- I'd expect to earn a salary comparable to the current rate for someone in the field, with the same skills and experience. From the research that I've done, it appears to be in the range of $X to $X. Is that the range you had in mind?
- Based on my previous experience and the going rate for this type of position, I would like to be in the mid- to high $X. Does that fit within your compensation structure?
Heather -----------------------------------------------------------Questions? Comments? Topics for future newsletters?
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