How to Win the Job by Communicating with Confidence

Fearless Interviewing

Or...

ANSWER:My base salary is $78,350 a year with an excellent
benefits package worth $12,000, so that puts my
entire compensation package somewhere in the
nineties.

If you’re at a first interview and are reasonably sure of a second
interview, or if you’re being screened on the phone, you should
not get into serious negotiations. The question “How much do
you expect to earn here?” is just a screening question taking to
get you in or out of the next interview. The best answer is some-
times “flexible,” “open,” or “negotiable.”
Even if the interviewer mentions that the position pays an
amount that isn’t amenable to you, don’t reject it in the first inter-
view. You haven’t even tried to negotiate yet!

Your objective in the first interview is to get to the

second interview.

Hang in there. You don’t haveto accept the figure that is men-
tioned. Simply say you’d be willing to “consider” it. By the second
interview you’ll have a lot more bargaining power. You know the
company is very interested in you. You may be one of only two or
three candidates. You may be their only candidate. You’re in the
seat of power.
Another client of mine, Gary, was offered what he considered
to be an unacceptably low salary in the first interview. He contin-
ued with the interviewing process and made it to the second
interview. Gary was able, after a 45-minute negotiation, to get the
employer to raise his salary from $35,000 to $49,000.
Gary did it by continuing to stress his skills and using Q state-
ments. He was sure to let the employer know of the value he
could contribute to the company, and he made himself absolute-
ly irresistible. Earning $14,000 in the space of a 45-minute nego-
tiation is certainly time well spent!