If you’re interviewing for a new job, you will want to know what the salary range is. Asking about salary does not mean that you should be concerned about how much the company can afford to pay. You’re just considering one of the factors that go into accepting or declining an offer, and it’s nice to know how much you’ll likely be making if you take the job. If a lower salary means more vacation days, then it’s worth it for you. Being able to ask for a higher salary when your skills are in great demand is an advantage that everyone wants, but everyone doesn’t get. If this is something that interests you, then keep reading for how to ask about salary at an interview.
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How to Ask About Salary at an Interview
Whether you’re applying for a job, or you’ve already got it, asking about salary is always a little nerve-wracking. What if they think you’re too pushy? What if they think you’re not worth what you’re asking for?
Here’s how to ask about salary at an interview:
- Do Your Research
Look up the average salary for the position in your area and make sure that your number is within the range of what someone would expect to be paid for that kind of work.
- Be Polite but Persistent
Be polite and respectful when asking about salary, but don’t back down if they tell you they can’t give an exact number yet or that they’d need to run some numbers before deciding on a number. Make sure that they understand how much experience/education/skillset/etc. is required to do the job well, so that they may be able to offer more insight into what their budget will allow them to pay someone who has those qualifications.
How to ask about salary at an interview
Prepare your salary information.
In order to have an effective negotiation, you need to have a clear idea of what your budget is and how it will affect your decision.
If you don’t know what you want from the job, or if your expectations are too high, it may be hard for your employer to meet them. You should really be asking yourself: “What do I want this job for?”
Think about how much money matters to you in different areas of life: housing costs and utilities; groceries and food; travel options; entertainment expenses like Netflix subscription fees or new games consoles; taxes (which are based on income).
Be professional.
- Be professional. Treat this as a business meeting and act accordingly. That means being polite, well-prepared, and focused on the task at hand.
- Don’t be overly confident or too humble—both can make you look like a poor candidate for the job.
- Don’t be pushy about getting your desired salary amount in an interview; if you’re not offered what you want at first, ask how much they would consider paying someone with your qualifications and experience level (and then go from there).
- If benefits are important to you in addition to salary, don’t bring them up before discussing compensation arrangements—you may alienate yourself from the hiring manager if they feel like they aren’t offering enough money overall!
Do your research.
To get a sense of what’s fair, compare the salary you’re being offered with the market rate. You can do this by researching average salaries for similar roles in your field and for companies that are comparable to yours. If you’re applying for a position with a company whose employees typically earn more money than average, it’s worth asking about how much more they make—and if the higher pay would be worth the risk of working at such a high-pressure place.
Sell yourself.
The key to selling yourself is to be confident. You don’t want to come off as arrogant, so avoid making statements like “I am the best.” Instead, focus on results and outcomes instead of how much you know about the subject matter at hand. The interviewer will want to know why they should hire you over the hundreds of other candidates they have in mind for this position, so make sure you spend some time talking about what makes your skillset relevant and valuable.
One way to do this is by explaining specific projects or experiences where your skill set has led directly to a positive outcome for both your employer and its customers/clients/etc.. For example: “I’ve successfully managed multiple projects with budgets ranging from $5k-$25k; my experience with budgets under $10k was especially helpful when we were looking at cost-effective ways of improving customer satisfaction rates across multiple platforms.”
Put the ball in their court.
Asking about salary, benefits and other perks is a great way to gauge the company culture. But you should also be careful not to ask too much or too soon in the interview process.
When asking about salary, try saying something like: “I know that people work hard here at [company name]. Is there anything else I could do to help me fit into your team?” This gives your employer an opportunity for a response (and hopefully one that is positive), but doesn’t put them on the spot by asking an awkward question that could make them uncomfortable.
You can ask about salary without seeming pushy or desperate.
You can ask about salary without seeming pushy or desperate. When it comes to asking about salary, there are a few things you shouldn’t do:
- Don’t use negative language, such as “I’m not sure if this is enough.” Instead, say something positive like “I think this job would be a great fit for me.”
- Avoid sounding like you only care about the money when talking about benefits. Many people expect a certain level of compensation and will find it unappealing if they think you’re more worried about your paycheck than the value of working at their company. For example, saying something like “What’s your 401k plan?” might make you seem more interested in personal gain than increasing productivity within your team—and that’s not what employers want to hear! Instead try asking questions that reveal how invested you are in helping them achieve their goals (like: “I’m really excited about moving forward with this company.”)
