Dealing with the Salary Elimination Question

There are two phases in a job search. First, you need to get a job offer. The second is evaluating and accepting the job offer. Realize that any conversation or questions about salary before you’ve been offered a job is not the time to negotiate salary. It is time for you to get past this question on your way to getting a job offer. Once they’ve made you an offer it is time to consider it and to negotiate salary and other benefits, compensation and perks. What were are talking about here is dealing with the Salary Elimination Question.

E: Employer

C: Interviewee or Candidate

E: What kind of salary are you looking for?

C: I’m looking for a salary in line with the responsibilities of the position.

Or you could say...

C: I really like your company and all my research leads me to believe that you offer a fair and competitive salary.

E: That’s nice. I really need to have a number; what are your salary expectations?

C: Oh, I’m looking for something in the 45K range.

E: That’s a little higher that we were expecting. Would you take less?

C: I’d consider it.

---

E: What was your last salary?

Let’s say that you were making a very high salary and due to the economy or because of a career shift you are applying for a lower paying position.

C: Oh, I’m looking for something in the 75K range.

E: That’s right in the range for the position you’ve applied for, but I still need to know your previous salary

C: I am making some allowances for the economy so I’ve reduced my salary requirements. I was earning 110 thousand in my last role. But that was a much different job.

E: Okay, thank you...

The goal here is to get through this question and not to make a big deal about it. Realize that I have refrained from two different responses. First, I didn’t use the word negotiate nor the word negotiation. Negotiate can be seen as an adversarial term. This is not the time to raise eyebrows; it is a time to build rapport. I also didn’t try to take the upper hand in the interview by asking a question like, “What does the job pay?” or “What are you expecting to pay for this position?”  This is a negotiation strategy and not appropriate at this time. Second, I also didn’t say anything that could be seen as desperate for the job. “I’m open, I’ll take anything!” is an absolute no-no! Just be cool and calm, answer the question simply and to the point.

You can also visit: xtranormal to view a movie clip on how this might work.

 

Just for Laughs!!!

Dealing with Odd-Ball Interview Questions

I can remember a back in the late 1980’s and early 90’s a famous software company in the Northwestern United States was known for asking odd interview questions. One that sticks on my mind was, “If you were a tree, what kind of a tree would you be?”

At the time it seemed kinda stupid but I had an oddball question of my own that I asked, “How do you change a tire?” One of my clients mentioned in a group session that he was practicing interviewing with his family and his daughter asked him a question: “How do you make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich?” Someone else commented that they were asked once in an interview a title of a book they had read.

Someone asked, “Is this a legal question?” and someone else commented that they didn’t think it was fair asking this kind of question. The answer is yes, these are all fair and legal questions. But, why in the world would anyone ask these questions if I’m interviewing for an Administrative Assistant or an Electrical Engineer position? What do these questions have to do with the job?

The reason for the question may or may not make sense to the interviewee, but I am sure the interviewer has a reason. Maybe they just want to see how you would react to the odd question. Maybe the question leads to a discussion that helps them better know you as a person. Or maybe they are looking for something specific.

When I use to ask the changing the tire question, I had actually standardized the question within my organization. I had asked everyone working for me to seriously answer the question in writing. I was running the company’s Quality organization and it was made up of Testers, Analysts and Engineers. The tire changing question helped me understand the candidate’s attention to detail, ability to describe a process and their written or oral communication. Plus, it was a common enough life experience that most people knew or had personal experience with.

BTW, my favorite response to this was, “I’d pick up the phone, call triple A and wait by my car for the service truck.” Other answers involved bicycle tires, old fashioned inner tube patching and a manual pump. The point was that there was no one right answer and many different answers. This is the case for most odd questions that come from left field in an interview. It comes down to how you respond and not the specific detail of the response.

So I’d be an Oak tree. Why? Because an oak tree is big, beautiful and provides lots of shade. This response is what I would have answered if I had been asked the question. Why? because it is who I am. I always say that in an interview you need to be yourself, be genuine. And so I remind you, if you are asked an oddball question... think for a second and give a real answer, then smile and wait for the next question.

"Why did you leave your last Job?"

   There are a lot of thoughts regarding this toughest of interview questions. There are books that will give you specific responses to use. However, there is really more here than meets the eye. In an interview there really are only two kinds of questions asked. First, the informational question... tell me about yourself, for example. Second, the elimination question... why did you leave your last job? What is important to remember is that the goal of an elimination type of question is to get you to shoot yourself in the foot. So don't!

   So when you're asked why you're looking to change jobs or why you left a previous job don't panic. Relax, it's no big deal even if you left under less than positive circumstances. The one point all the experts agree is not to trash your previous employer. Don't even say anything that could be mistaken for a negative. You're a professional and you don't make problems, you solve them. So, when you are asked the question you'll deliver you response in a relaxed, unimportant manner that is quick and to the point. The more you say the more opportunity you have to shoot yourself in the foot. Answer the question with a short and positive response and then you're ready for the next question. 

    This means that you have an answer already before the interview begins. You've practiced it over and over again. You have the response down pat! You know it backwards and forwards so that it comes across like a conversation with your best buddy asking about last night's game. You don't want it to sound practiced or rehearsed. You want to come across as genuine and honest.

That's how you deliver the response, but what do you say? All the experts agree... No Negative! I like Challenger's format of creating a conversation:

Interviewer: Why did you leave XYZ Company ?

Candidate: There were no more challenges.

Interviewer: What do you mean? (Tell me more...)

Candidate: I had accomplished all my goals and I decided to seek new challenges elsewhere. 

But what if you got let go and it wasn't your idea to leave?

Interviewer: Why did you leave FX Inc.?
Candidate: The company consolidated operations.
Interviewer: What do you mean?
Candidate: A business decision was made due to the economy to consolidate operations within the company. This affected 30% of all positions including mine.

   There is safety in numbers and this reason for leaving says nothing negative, or as Joe Friday use to say, "just the facts." Normally you'll want to have the reasons for leaving any job going back ten years. Remember regardless of the situation that resulted in your leaving, you got a lot out of your experience there and you have nothing but positive things to say about the experience, the people, your boss and the company as a whole.

 

Interviewing: Two Questions to Answer

The two most common interview questions asked candidates are:

1. Tell me about yourself?

2. What are you looking for?

   Its really important to have answers to these questions. But don't make the mistakes that most people make. What is the first mistake most people make? These are easy questions and can be answered off the top of your head. They are not simple questions and you need to be prepared. The other mistake people make is akin to throwing spaghetti on the wall hoping something sticks. The candidate who keeps talking until they get a reaction is losing the interview.

   Consider this: in the interview you cannot pass along negative info, a negative vibe or answers that would create a poor perception. So you need to be prepared to answer these questions. However, your responses in the interview need to come across in a confident, positive and natural way. If your replies sound like canned answers they will be discounted. So you really need to have the answers down pat.

   Another thing to consider is who is your audience? What does the interviewer want to hear? When they ask you about yourself, do they want to hear your life story from when you were born up to today? No! They want to know what you bring to the table that will benefit them and their organization. When they ask you about your ideal position they don't what to hear about how you would like to cure world hunger, unless of course you are interviewing with the World Health Organization or UNICEF. They want to hear what roles you could fulfill that would make them look good to their bosses. I have some examples on my website check them out.

   It is important to keep in mind what the interviewer is looking for. People hire people to solve problems and they ask questions to ascertain who can do that for them. Question one is really asking about your skills and abilities. Question two is slanted toward learning about the roles and responsibilities you would be willing to cover. If they are a fit to what is needed on the team, you're moving forward.

   You also want to keep the answers brief, between 50 and 100 words. My examples in the website average 66 words per response. A good answer is general enough to capture the interviewer's attention to envision you in their team. But maybe the most important thing about answering any interview question is to be positive!