华谊传媒深圳有限公司:The answer to the toughest interview question » Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk

There’s a lot of advice on this blog about how to interview: Tell good stories, ask good questions, be a closer.But here’s only one most important thing to remember: when it comes todiscussing your potential salary, never give the number first.

The right answer to the question, “What’s your salary range?” is almost always some version of “I’m not telling you.”

The person who gives the first number sets the starting point. Butif that’s you, you lose. If you request a salary higher than the rangefor the job, the interviewer will tell you you’re high, and you’ve justlost money. If you request a salary lower than the range, theinterviewer will say nothing, and you’ve just lost money.

So you can only hurt yourself by giving the first number. You wantthe interviewer to tell you the range for the position, because thenyou can focus on getting to the high end of that range. But you can’twork to the high point if you don’t know it.

So if there are two good salary negotiatorsin the room, it will be a game to see who has to give the first number.Fortunately, the company cannot make you an offer without also offeringa salary, so the cards are stacked in your favor, as long as you holdyour ground.

So here’s a list of responses for all the ways the interviewer willask you how much money you expect to make. The more times you can fendoff the question, the less likely you will have to be the one to givethe first number. This works, even if you don’t have the upper hand and you really need the job.

What salary range are you looking for?
“Let’s talk about the job requirements and expectations first, soI can get a sense of what you need.” That’s a soft answer to a soft wayto ask the question.

What did you make at your last job?
“This position is not exactly the same as my last job. So let’s discusswhat my responsibilities would be here and then determine a fair salaryfor this job.” It’s hard to argue with words like “fair” and“responsibilities”—you’re earning respect with this one.

What are you expecting to make in terms of salary?
“I am interested in finding a job that is a good fit for me. I’m surewhatever salary you’re paying is consistent with the rest of themarket.” In other words, I respect myself and I want to think I canrespect this company.

I need to know what salary you want in order to make you an offer. Can you tell me a range?
“I’d appreciate it if you could make me an offer based on whatever youhave budgeted for this position and we can go from there.” This is apretty direct response, so using words like “appreciate” focuses ondrawing out the interviewer’s better qualities instead of her tougherside.

Why don’t you want to give your salary requirements?
“I think you have a good idea of what this position is worth to yourcompany, and that’s important information for me to know.” Enoughdancing–this is one last attempt to force you to give the number first.Hold your line here and you win.

You can see the pattern, right? If you think you sound obnoxious orobstinate by not answering the question, think of how he feels askingthe question more than once. The interviewer is just trying to get aleg up on you in negotiations. If you give in, you look like a poornegotiator, and the interviewer is probably not looking for someonelike that.

So stand your ground, and understand that the interviewer is beingas insistent as you are. And it might encourage you to know thatresearch shows that if you mirror the behavior of the interviewer, youare more likely to get the job. Sure, this usually applies to tone ofvoice, level of enthusiasm, and body language, but who’s to say itdoesn’t apply to negotiation tactics, too? Try it. You could come awaylots richer