So you are nearing the end of the job interview and things are going well until you are asked one of those nerve racking questions ‘What salary are you looking for in this position”.  Here is another example of a classic touch interview questions.

No candidate can be expected to provide an accurate and meaningful answer to this question.  The employer asks this question to get the candidate to “reveal their cards” first. If you are asked about your salary expectations, try to delay the question. You can respond by saying that you need to find out more details about the responsibilities.  A salary or wage is really just the price the employer has in mind for the particular position and it’s still flexible and open to negotiation.

What are other options of answering this question?  Well, since it is an employer’s job to make an offer if they want to hire you, you can say that you will be prepared to discuss salary when an offer is made.  Another approach is to shift the question back to the interviewer by asking the salary range of the position, and then indicate if it’s in your desired range.

Remember, if you are to respond to this question, do not answer by giving a specific number but instead, provide a salary range and try not to be too specific.   Instead, respond with a phrases like, ”in the range of…”.

So what if you are the successful candidate and the employer makes a job offer?  How should you evaluate the compensation?  Well, evaluating the compensation is just one component of evaluating a job offer.  Compensation should be seen with a broad view since salary is just one component of compensation. Factors such as, Variable pay, benefits, and other perks (for example, education support, vacation, and so forth) make up a job’s total compensation.  When evaluating a new job offer it is also equally important to consider other things like career growth, stability, location and so forth.

Information provided by HR Difference.

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