19 What are Your Salary Requirements?
You can answer even the most difficult questions during an interview but panic when discussing salary requirements. The question of salary is a natural hiring process when two parties try to make a deal. On the one hand, you don’t want to undervalue yourself and end up with a lower salary than you deserve. On the other hand, you don’t want to price yourself out of consideration for the job.
When employers ask this question, they are trying to get a sense of your expectations and whether they align with their budget for the position. They want to make sure that they can afford to hire you and that you won’t be expecting a salary that is outside of their range. So, as with any tricky interview question, you must prepare to discuss salary in advance.
Possible answers for “What are your salary requirements?”:
“At my last job, I was making X thousand a month. I was hired for this salary as a completely inexperienced specialist. Still, since then, I have gained much practical experience, improved my knowledge and skills, and regularly educated myself through courses, training, and conferences. Therefore, I would like to increase my income based on my professional growth.”
Tips for answering the question “What are your salary requirements?”:
- Take the time to figure out your ideal amount.
- Use different resources to find information – this will give you a better idea of how much to ask. For example, look up the average salary of people in your profession in the area where you live or where you are looking for work.
- Another common technique for answering the question is to remember your last job. Say that you had such a salary in your previous job, but now you want to grow based on the new acquired experience and knowledge.
- Talk about salary only after discussing your experience and vacancy, and this issue should be initiated by the employer.
What mistakes should not be made when answering the question “What are your salary requirements?”:
- Using the following phrases: “Of course, I would like to receive millions …”, “The bigger, the better.”, “I agree to any salary – I’m tired of going to interviews.”
