Effective Tips On How To Answer Salary-Related Questions

Why do employers ask about your salary expectations? – What does the recruiter want to know?

Being asked about your salary expectation may put you through a confusing and anxious situation. This question is often studied and prepared for before going through the interviews. Salary expectation is amongst the common interview questions that you may encounter in the hiring process. This may be a good opportunity for you to take to express your expectations and defend your case.

There are plenty of reasons why your recruiter is asking you regarding your expectations on how many figures you are expecting every month. When they are asking you about it, most probably, here are the reasons why:

  • They’re trying to assess how well you know your true value. An ideal candidate knows how much the market’s skill set is valued and can share it with reverence—factor in your degree, years of work experience, and career milestones to assess sufficient market value.
  • The recruiter would like to evaluate if you are at the competent suitable standard. For the job, an applicant who asks for considerably higher figures than other applicants might be too old for the role. Alternatively, responding to the low end of a compensation expectation could mean that you are at a lower skill set than the job involves.
  • The company may have a budget for your job position. The employer needs to ensure that the salary requirements match the sum they have measured for the work. If they find that other candidates are calling for much more than intended, it may mean moving for a bigger budget for the job.

To understand whether or not they can manage your services, employers can pose this question. You may even be asked to see just how much you respect yourself and your profession, too.

From here, the salary negotiation may start. To successfully answer this inquiry, you need a well-thorough researched-based response. Factual research and preparation for the answer can help you prove that you know your worth financially and be flexible with the salary you provided.

Why are salary-related questions tricky to answer?

Without a doubt, answering salary-related questions is a test for someone who is being interviewed. But if you’ve done some homework and know how much you’re worth, then you don’t have to panic about it.

There is a range of methods to address compensation interview questions, and it is essential to ascertain how best to ask these questions so that you can comfortably head through the discussion. Here are some of the excellent examples you may refer to in answering “What is your salary expectation?”

Answer 1:

“My standard compensation is around $50,000. I believe that the contribution and expertise I can deliver in my position are in line with my salary expectations. Is this in accordance with your considerations?”

Answer 2:

“Miss/sir, thank you for asking. I think the annual salary figures of $50,000-60,000 are in line and represent my qualifications and level of expertise correctly. Nonetheless, I’m adaptable and flexible to discussing the pay standards of the company for this job.”

Answer 3:

“Although I am completely open and adaptable to adjustment, I expect to get somewhere between $50,000 to $60,000 annually. Because of my range of expertise and skill set, I feel that this is a good and reasonable figure for my career.”

Answer 4:

“Allow me to begin by how thankful I am for the benefits this bids for employment, like health benefits and retirement covers. With that, I am expecting that my salary would fall around $50,000 to $60,000 a year. My abundant background in customer administrations evident to this industry can claim a role in strengthening the company.”

For you to prepare for excellent and suitable response, you ought to know somebody in your industry and geographic zone normally procures. This will permit you to decide on a sensible compensation range for the work.

Compensations ought to be genuinely comparable no matter how you look at it, yet there might be a few contrasts dependent on the region or area and expertise level.

Make sure to localize your research focusing on your area. Thorough research is indeed helpful as this may play a role in determining the appropriate salary range without compensating too high or too low on a particular post.

Never say this in answering salary-related questions

Do not name your own price

Do not guess nor lie in naming your own price. Avoid providing a baseless salary range if your research only implied half of the worth you’ve mentioned to the recruiter.

This probably would be your doom if you decided to lie about your compensation expectation.

Do not give an exact figure

Avoid providing a number that is fixed. If you can defer discussing a certain wage until it is specified by the supervisor, negotiating would be more to your advantage.

Do not react badly about the company’s salary offer

If you feel disappointed and discouraged by the offer, answer politely and ask if there’s a chance to negotiate for higher.

Food for thought

Compensation is anything but a straightforward discussion, and there is an approach to getting ready for the question. While there is no right or wrong answer, it is important to get your facts right. Also, there is no single approach in answering a salary-related question and you shouldn’t discourage it if the price seems low at first.

Not all good comes easy and you’ll surely get the salary increase you deserve overtime.