Work Dish

Job interviews have the uncanny ability to stress out even the most self-composed person. There are many tips for preparing for interviews in generalwe’ve even got some of our own on this site. The question of money deserves special consideration, though.Money is almost always a factor in accepting a job, whether we like to admit it or not. Even for smart budgeters who make savvy financial decisions (like visiting www.expertsatellite.com, for example), there will be certain salaries which they cannot and should not accept. But how do they (and you) let the potential employer know what these are, without wasting either person’s time?The first thing to do is to follow the lead of the companyto an extent. Some companies will ask for an expected salary range with the submission of your resume. Whether they do or not, it’s helpful to check a site like Salary.com to get an idea of the expected range, both for the position in general and for your level of experience. Be sure that you are able to back up those claims of experience as well.When it comes to discussing salary in person, most sources agree that you should never discuss it before the end of the interviewand the interviewee should never bring it up themselves on the first interview. Some interviewers may attempt to catch the applicant off guard and bring the money question up at the beginning. The best advice in this case? Change the subject. Focus on your strengths and experience so that you have a better basis for negotiation when the interviewer returns to the subject later on.When the negotiation process starts, give a value that is slightly more than you would expect. In most cases, you won’t get it, but you will still have a higher value from which to negotiate down. It’s also important to consider benefits and promotional opportunities when discussing compensation.These days, you can usually be sure that salary will come up during the first interview. Drew Ostrem, branch manager for a financial staffing firm, says, “Company managers are dealing with more overqualified applicants than ever before, and they don’t want to wait until the second or third interview to find out that they’re not even on the same page when it comes to salary.” These circumstances have even led to more executives being comfortable with an applicant bringing up the issue56 percent of senior executives in 2009 said they were comfortable with the interviewee bringing up salary during the first or second interview. However, if you choose to go against tradition and tackle the issue yourself, you should still be sure to follow the tips above and “establish your value,” as Ostrem puts it.