Interviewing for a new job can be exciting — every conversation is a chance to say exactly what you want in a new role or company, and to make the case for why you deserve it. But>When to bring up salary in a job interview
Experts say you should go into every first interview with your salary expectations in mind. Author and career coach Octavia Goredema recommends checking industry salary reports, using>How to answer "What are your salary expectations?"
Experts generally say to avoid stating your salary expectations first. State a number too low and you could shortchange yourself in the future. State>If HR pushes for a number
The hiring manager could just as well turn the question back to you and insist you state a number. In this case, have a range ready based on the data you've collected.
Lares says to be clear about your absolute minimum and put that number at the bottom of your range. Your target number should be on the lower end of your range, too, Goredema adds. Identify a high enough ceiling to give yourself room to negotiate upward later on.
How wide should your range be? That'll depend on how much you want the job, how much the pay matters to you and how much leverage you have at that point in the hiring process.
Lares gives this example: If you're aiming for $100,000 and are still figuring out whether you like the job, you might give a range of $95,000 to $115,000. If you really want the job, know you can negotiate other benefits and want to be flexible on base salary to speed up their decision, you might tighten your band to $95,000 to $102,000.
Keep in mind that "the wider the range, the softer it is — it almost seems like you're not saying much," Lares says.
You can always follow up by saying these are your initial expectations based on what you know of the job and company so far, and that you look forward to discussing more concrete numbers as you advance through the hiring process.
