Interview and the compensation question. Is it appropriate, and when is it appropriate, for the job seeker to ask about compensation during and interview?

.. No.. I don't have the answer and am not here to entertain on this post. I'm serious. I'm perplexed by the question of appropriate timing and approach to address compensation when the employer is not offering that information.

I know how I behave when I interview as a job seeker. But, I don't want to taint your answer with my opinion.

So, in your opinion, is it appropriate for a job seeker to ask about compensation during an interview? Please include your reasoning. And, please address the timing and approach you would coach a job seeker to use if you feel it is appropriate to go down that road.

I thank you, in advance, for your answer. I hope it helps others with this question.

Tags: Compensation, Jobseeker, Salary, candidate, interview, job, seeker

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Permalink Reply by Eric Gilson on January 16, 2009 at 11:39am

interviewee - interviewer........a little late to the EDIT game.

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Permalink Reply by Zale Tabakman on January 16, 2009 at 4:13pm

I am not a recruiter or a job hunter - but I am a businessman and have negotiated lots and lots.

Salary is an important negotiating point.

It needs to be treated like that. Its worth thousands of dollars.

So, before even going into an interview

a) The candidate must know how much s/he wants
b) The candidate must know what the position is worth in that city for that size company. This includes knowing the financial value of the benefits.
c) The candidate should try to find out the company pay scale - is it a premium, under market etc.

So when the employer asks the candidate what s/he wants to make. The candidate should say - this job is worth this much in the marketplace. These are the value of the benefits, etc. This way s/he is indicating they know what the job is worth and they know their value. They are negotiating from a position of information and strength, and where possible - the candidate should hand the employer a package with that information in it.

The package should of course reflect the data on which her/his salary expectations lie.

This way the employer will know what is a reasonable expectation for the employee and why.

When the employer makes an offer - the candidate can simply say yes/no because they know what they want and what the job is worth.

If the offer is higher than the range - that tells the candidate something - if its lower that also tells the candidate something.