The dreaded "What are your salary requirements?" question!

First, I'll make a brief acknowledgement that it has been quite some time since I have posted a blog here and today I'm prompted to do so by some eager "soon-to-be" graduates at UW-Milwaukee. As a guest speaker in a communication class about interviewing; today was specifically about job interviewing, we covered a number of topics. We discussed LinkedIn and networking, we talked about the types of interview questions and did a practice exercise using examples, and we covered some topics important to the students, one of which was handling "salary requirements" questions.

I'm not sure I was able to give an adequately concrete response, and quite honestly, I'm not sure there is one. I do think there are some strategies that can be used to handle the questions about salary requirements. To me the goal is to respond well enough to stay in the game without, leaving available money on the table or without pricing yourself out of an opportunity.

Here are some of the ideas I shared in class today, plus a few other thoughts that came to me later:

1. Do your research: The more you can find out about the company, the industry, and the role, the better prepared you will be in estimating the salary range you might be working with. Most companies have a range for each requisition, and while their job is to get the most qualified person for the lowest cost, and it is your job to show how qualified you are for the role and secure your target salary.
2. Be authentic: Often you will be asked to provide a salary requirement or range. In either event, I would recommend you provide a range. This gives you an opportunity to account for your estimate, and it gives both you and the employer some room to negotiate.
3. Always be negotiating: From the first conversation with a recruiter, and all the way through to when you receive an actual offer, there are opportunities where you can be negotiating. For you, the job seeker, it's your goal to continue to get as much information as you can about what will be offered, if you are the selected candidate. This can be salary information, details about benefits, information about company culture, or details about how the hiring manager supervisor's staff.
4. Be honest: At some point, you will be asked to give your salary history. This is a place where honesty is imperative. As part of any job application, providing accurate salary history is required, and if not accurate, can be a reason for an employer to disqualify you from consideration. Remember: your salary history is simply fact-based, while your salary requirements are what you are aspiring to be offered.
5. Consider total-compensation: Making a fair wage is important to all of us - we want to be paid what we think we are worth. No matter how you slice it, keeping the lights on, putting food on the table, and paying your basic expenses is necessary! So, what else can you negotiate for that is important to you? Well, that requires you to make a list of the things (other than salary) you see as valuable. Some of those things might be flexible benefits, paid-time-off (PTO), work hours flexibility, remote-commuting, tuition reimbursement, etc.
6. Turning point: I believe that there is one moment and one moment only when you, as the candidate, will be in an ideal position to ask for what you really want. There is one time and one time only when the employer likes you just a little more than you like the employer. That time is when they offer you the job. This is when you can feel good about asking for what you want. It is the time you can make a counter-offer, and feel assured that it will be seriously considered. The outcome will be one of three things: It will be fully rejected, it will be fully accepted, or it will be partially accepted.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Don't be hesitant to reach out for help, ask all of your questions, and use every resource at your disposal.

You can do this!