5 Tips To Help You Answer Interview Questions About Salary

Feb 2, 2016 | Blog | 0 comments

You are facing a job interview panel.  Everything has gone great. You’re feeling confident about how you’ve answered all the questions so far. Then, the hiring manager asks, “How much money do you make currently?” or “How much salary do you expect?” . How should you answer?

A better salary/remuneration, though not the only reason,  is what we all look for when job hunting. We all want to earn better salaries than what we currently earn. We all want to improve our standards of living and those of our families. But how do you deal with questions the interviewer may ask about your current or expected salary?

The dilemma is if you name a figure, are you under-selling yourself or are you pricing yourself out of the market? If you say what your current salary is, the following scenarios might play out:
  • The employer could just make you an offer as close as possible to your current salary, when they might have been prepared to offer more
  • If your current pay is much lower than what is being offered, the interviewer might think you are trying to skip a career stage
  • The interviewer might wonder why you took a low paying job in the first place
  • The remuneration for the new job might be slightly higher than what you are currently earning, in which case, would you take the job if offered to you?
  • Your current salary might actually be higher than what is on offer, especially if you are moving sideways rather than up
  • The interviewer might wonder why you seem ready to move into a lower paying job

The salary question can be a difficult topic to discuss if you haven’t already thought through potential responses.Ideally, you don’t want to mention a figure before they do.Here are tips to help you prepare for the salary question/discussion:
Tip1. Arm yourself with salary information.

Money, though not the only reason to change jobs, is
an important factor to consider when job hunting
(Photo:adegboyegailori.com)

Before you go to the job interview, spend adequate time conducting research to find out average salaries and salary ranges for similar jobs in your area/industry. How do you do this?

  • Find out if there are similar advertised jobs where the salary is mentioned
  • Find out if the organisation has a fixed pay scale
  • Find out if there are salary surveys for your profession that you could refer to
  • Talk to someone in a similar job and ask them what someone like you might be expected to get
Tip 2.Discuss the salary range with the HR during the initial screening interview.
 You don’t have to wait until you’ve made it to the interview round with the hiring manager. The initial telephone screen with HR is a good time to discuss the position’s pay range to make sure your expectations are within the salary parameters. This also makes the salary discussion with the hiring manager (when it comes up) a lot less stressful.
Tip 3. Be prepared to provide a salary range.
This can be handled in two ways.
a)You could provide the salary range you’ve researched using the methods above . For example:
Q. We are offering Ksh 70,000 How does that sound to you?
A. “Based on my research, similar positions in this industry are currently paying between Ksh 70,000 and Ksh 90,000. Is this also the range for which you’ve budgeted for this position?”
This shows the interviewer that you have done your research and have a rough idea about the salary range.If you reply that Ksh 70000 is fine, that’s what you will get, rather than the Ksh 80,000 they were willing to go up to.
Research on how much money the employer is willing to pay
and be prepared to provide salary range
b)Or, you could share the salary range you desire. For example,
Q.What sort of salary are you expecting?
A.“Bearing in mind my my knowledge, skills and experience, I would expect the salary range of the position to be between  Ksh 70,000 and Ksh 90,000. ”
As in the example above, it shows you have done your research and can make an educated guess about the salary range.

Tip 4. Think about how much you’d like to earn.
This doesn’t mean sharing an exact number, because it can place you above or below the budgeted salary for the position as indicated earlier. Instead, provide a range you’d like to make.
For example,
“Since I’m moving from one industry to another, I’m not expecting to match my previous salary exactly.  But, I would like my pay to range between…and…..”

 Tip 5. Postpone the salary question if it’s asked too early in the job interview.

 It will do you no good to tell the hiring manager how much you currently make or a desired salary range if you haven’t at least made it to the end of the interview to see if you and the hiring manager believe you’re a good fit. Politely let the interviewer know you’d like to better understand the job responsibilities and requirements and how well you meet those needs before discussing the salary topic.
However, note that the offer of a job should not depend on the level of salary you are prepared to accept. The job should be offered first and the salary stated. It is up to you then to accept or reject the offer

How have you handled the salary question during interviews? Share your thoughts, ideas and what worked well in the “Comments” section below.
Have a blessed week ahead!

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