Salary negotiating is an
important topic that must be addressed prior to your initial
interview with a prospective employer. Knowing your bottom
rate, and being able to live with it [or on it?] is an important
thing for candidates to uncover before the first interview.
Why then do so many of us make the tactical mistake and go
to the interview unprepared?
One of the first mistakes – a real
killer – is to tip your hand too early in the interview
process on what you will accept for a salary. Many interviewers
will attempt to screen you out by finding out what your ballpark
figure is. To mention that amount too early in the interview
process can and will lock you in to a figure you might not
be happy with later. Try changing your salary requirements
after an offer has been made and you will come across looking
flakey or greedy.
You must have a salary range in mind before
going on the first interview… you then have to be determined
not to reveal it in that interview or you just might find
yourself on the outside looking in. In other words, you will
be screened out of the selection process before you can show
the employer [the person with hiring authority, not the Human
Resources (HR) rep.] what you can do for them.
If you are asked on the first interview
what your salary requirements are you must stall the interviewer.
Chances are the first interview is with an HR rep who is trained
to weed people out, oftentimes the salary requirement being
one of the “weeds” the rep looks at to eliminate
candidates. More than likely the rep is a “no-nothing”
regarding your job; he or she is tasked with presenting a
certain group of candidates to the person with actual hiring
authority [e.g., chief flight attendant, chief pilot, operations
manager, etc.] and knows [or cares] little about your background
or what you can do for the company.
I have seen the best candidates get screened
out prematurely because they tipped their hand too early in
the interview process.
So, what do you do if someone insists
on a salary figure? The best answer can be summed up along
these lines: “my salary requirements are based on the
nature and scope of the position.” In other words, the
more difficult the job, the higher your salary requirements
will be. If pressed further -- assuming the rep insists on
uncovering your salary range -- you can always announce a
figure closer to your bottom rate. For example, if you want
60K and sense that announcing that figure ahead of time will
sink you, you can tell them: “my range starts in the
upper 40s to mid 50s.” That way, you won’t be
screened out for what the H.R. rep might consider an excessive
salary requirement. Most importantly, it will enable you to
go to the all important second interview with the person who
has real hiring authority.
Your second interview is your opportunity
to “WOW” your potential employer. Tell them all
the things you can and will do for them. Avoid salary negotiating
and let them know they can’t live without you. Once
you sell them on that point, you will be prepared to give
your salary figure of 60K, but only discuss salary if they
bring it up [your third interview should be their actual offer
to you, however be prepared for an offer earlier than that
if you WOW them and they insist on hiring you on the spot.
In that case you should be able to secure your upper figure].
Should the remark be made that HR told
them you would accept a much lower salary, you must stress
that the job responsibilities detailed to you in the interview
are much greater than what the HR rep had indicated. Most
reasonable people will understand that HR only has a general,
not a specific understanding of the job requirements, and
will accept this reasoning. Reemphasize your experience, your
business acumen, all the points that set you apart from the
average candidate, which you are not.
I cannot tell you how often I have heard
candidates fail at this important game, which it is -- a cat
and mouse game. Do not for a minute think that you will be
able to renegotiate your salary later. If you settle for less
you will have to live on less. Maybe that works for you, but
chances are you will be unhappy and had wished you never caved
in.
Matthew Keegan is the
founder of the Corporate Flight Attendant Community, a resource
center for business flight attendants. http://www.cabinmanagers.com
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