Job Interview: How To Ask About Salary When The Interviewer Doesn’t
By Selipha Kihagi
You’ve probably have read a lot of advice about salary in a job interview, with most mentioning that it should be the one question you should avoid, unless the interviewer brings it up. But what if the interviewer doesn’t bring it up? Do you stay quiet and wait to get the job so you can ask how much salary you will be paid or until you see the contract?
Perminus Wainaina, the Managing Partner and Head of Recruitment at Corporate Staffing Services, advises that failure to negotiate your salary in a job interview will portray you as a desperate job seeker. This then becomes a turn off to recruiters and employers alike, and may become your career downfall. You can read more on that in this article here.
The above scenario is crucial whenever the interviewer brings up the salary question and you feel the salary is not enough. But the issue today is, what if they do not ask at all? what do you do then?
How To Ask About Salary In A Job Interview
1. First, understand the damage of asking about salary too early in the interview
While negotiating the salary in a job interview is advocated for, there are is dangers to asking about it too early. You might come up as money minded to the employer or recruiter and this is not very good. It is always best to focus on selling your skills first and impressing the interviewer.
Once you understand this piece of the puzzle, you can then go ahead and identify the right time to bring up the subject. Usually, the best time is towards the end when you know if you are getting the job or not.
2. Gauge how the interview is going; is the interviewer into you?
During a job interview, you can always tell if the recruiter or employer is into you or they are just bored and repelled by you and can’t wait for the interview to end. There are usually the usual signs to look out for and we have talked about these signs before. If you are not acquainted with this, here is how to know if you will get the job.
If your interview is going well but the interviewer has not asked about salary, yet it’s about to end, then you can ask how much they have budgeted for the role. This is especially when they start selling you on the job, this is clear that they are impressed.
3. Be very selective about the words you use in bringing it up
When you have identified that the interview is going well and you are at the best time to ask about salary, remember to first craft your words in your mind before speaking. In life, how you say things is more important than what you say. This means that you could have a message (in this case, salary inquiry), but how you put it across can be received very differently.
A good approach would be something like this; “Would you say this a good time to discuss the salary range for the position?” And remember, a smile in an interview goes a long way in impressing.
4. Expect the interview to revert the question to you
Once you have asked about the salary range, it is very likely that the interviewers will want to hear your range first. They may already have the budget for the position but the candidate is expected to speak first. So, whatever answer you get above, always make sure you are prepared with a salary range in mind to ensure you are not caught off guard. And this is the time you bring the salary negotiation skills you have learned to play.
Discussing the salary is always a big elephant in the room, but with the right tools, it doesn’t have to be. And if you are still not getting jobs after interviews, then your best solution is an interview coach.
