Salary negotiation: what do you need to know?
One of the main aspects of a job is, of course, the salary. Too little pay leads to quitting, too much pay leads to constant effort. A well-paid job is something that everyone cares about, and that is perfectly normal. However, it is very often a problem for people who have to go to job interviews and answer or ask employers themselves about their future salary.
This is not an easy question to ask: some people are afraid of asking too much, others have no idea how much is paid to employees at their level. Candidates whose job interviews are conducted by a recruiter feel even more uncertain. Some feel that these professionals either do not know or do not provide such information. Either way, the salary question must be asked and answered, but there are some unwritten rules about when and how to ask an employer or recruiter about salary.
Feel uncomfortable when talking about the financial aspects of the job
Although salary should be considered one of the most important topics in a job interview, a large number of people still avoid asking employers first. How much the applicant will earn, when the salary will be paid, etc., all of these things cause a kind of anxiety that can also delay the interview itself. Generally, people applying for a vacant position do not feel confident about how much people in their profession earn or are afraid of asking for too much money. Professional recruiters advise them to find out how much other people in the profession are earning and to assess themselves properly before applying. Then the question of salary will naturally arise.
When is the best time to ask about salary?
Perhaps the most important rule of thumb in a job interview is to find the right time to ask about salary. According to recruiters, it is usually easy to see when the conversation is moving towards this topic, so you shouldn’t rush or stall things. However, once a candidate has walked in and met the employer, he or she should never start asking when and how much he or she will be paid for the tasks performed. This is a fundamental mistake.
The first thing to discuss with the manager or recruiter during the job interview is other, much more important things, such as work experience, competences, motivation, skills and so on. Only then, in the second half of the job interview, is it time to touch on the subject of salary. Ideally, this should be saved for the end, but in some cases the middle of the interview is also suitable.
Who comes first: the employee or the employer?
Another pertinent question is whose responsibility is it to ask about wages? There are different opinions, some people think that the employer should be the one to start the conversation, as he or she is the one who will be paying the money, while others believe that it is not the person who should take the initiative and be the first one to inquire about it when coming to the job interview.
In fact, the situation can help to guide the process: if the employer is concerned about how much the candidate expects to receive, he or she will ask when the time comes; but if the manager has not mentioned anything about salary when the interview is nearing its end, it is up to the candidate to be bold enough to ask about it himself or herself. There are times when company directors or recruiters focus too much on a person’s experience or competencies and inadvertently fail to ask about salary expectations.
