Most of the time the salary expectation question can seem awkward during the job interview. A salary expectation represents what a candidate expects to be paid for a job and is a question that recruiters ask for majority of the time during the process of a job interview. It is, therefore, important for the candidate to be ready for that question so he is not taken by surprise. But how do we really answer the salary expectation question? Find in this article the best answers to that question.
Offer a number and put a question right after it so you don’t give a closed-ended answer
There are many answers that could be said to answer the question about the salary expectation. However recruiters do expect to hear about a yearly based net salary. That shouldn’t be a reason for you to give a fixed salary because after all the goal of a salary negotiation is to have the maximum the employer could offer you, thinks HR specialist Thierry Krief. He adds « if you give a non negotiable number then naturally it is not opened for negotiation ». In an effort to not breach the conversation which is detrimental to the negotiation, we suggest you don’t answer with standard questions like « I need » or « I want ». Answer with something more like: 45 000 euros a year salary sounds fair, what do you think? » Answering with another question opens the conversation.
The bold move : “ the higher the better”
You could also respond to the recruiter’s question about the salary expectation by saying the very bold words “ the higher the better”. Be careful though because if it is not done in a very humorous way it could be misinterpreted. Basically, if you do not have a good sense of humour do not say it.
The flexible response : Provide a salary range
When they ask you a question about salary, it happens sometimes that you provide a salary range rather than a fixed amount. It is a good answer but make sure to do it the right way. When you provide a salary range your desired salary should be the lowest one and you should be able to explain why you want more or else you could lose your credibility. That is at least according to the HR specialist Thierry Krief. From his opinion it is strongly advised to not under evaluate your salary range because it could make you lose the position. “You don’t make yourself more marketable by lowering your value,” he added.
What not to say at any mean: “How much can you offer?”
It there is one thing that you should never say to the recruiter it is “ how much can you offer me? This answer is counterproductive in the sense that the recruiters want to have candidates who know their worth. You could happen to not know the salary for that specific job. In that case you should look at studies about salary ranges available online. Anyway, be ready to provide some proofs to justify your salary expectation, for example you can show them you pay slip. Highly demanded profiles can ask for more based on their accomplishments.