Now that I own my own company, I thankfully no longer have to worry about the dreaded interview questions that pop up during the seeking employment stage. You know the ones that I’m talking about: Why do you want to work for our company, what can you offer and, low of lows, what is your current salary?
You can always come up with answers to the first two, as they are company specific. But what about that third answer? It’s tricky. If you give a lowball answer, then you are basically telling the employer that you could start for as low as that answer and be happy. No one wants to make way less than they are worth.
On the other hand, if you give a high answer, you may be pushing that job right down the drain because if the employer believes you were making double what they are willing to pay, they may not consider you as a perfect candidate for the job.
So then just how should you handle this delicate interviewing question?
First of all, go into that interview understanding what you need to make. Not what you want to make or what you think that you are worth (yes you are a great person with a wonderful work ethic, but you can’ t go straight from college to top administration without some experience, and you can’ t go from minimum wage to an elite professional’s salary unless you have been in the field for a while-at least, in most professions).
Check out salaries for the position in which you are interested. What do these people generally make for this type of job? Don’t forget to consider the area in which you live. Out here in Southern California some school teachers bring home $65,000 with about 10 years of experience, but back in Florida I know teachers that are making much less than that who have been in the teaching field for much longer. It’s important to understand that salaries differ from state to state so keep your expectations realistic.
Don’t lie. If you made a really low salary and you believe you really are worth more, then tell the employer the truth about that salary and then tell the employer that you are expecting more and explain why. If you made a salary higher than the one that you are anticipating the current job to pay, state the truth and then tell the employer that for this particular job, you are willing to take a cut in pay. And tell them how much that cut should entail in order for you to consider the job. But don’t go lower than you can afford to make.
Finally, be honest with yourself. If you go in and underbid you will be very unhappy if you do win the job, and if you go in and tell the employer you want a highly inflated salary and the employer can’t pay this salary, why bother applying in the first place?