IT Employment

This is probably not the answer you would like to here, but it is my view that salary should never be discussed until you've been offered the job. When I am involved in interviewing potential job candidates, if the interviewee brings up salary before I've offered him the job I see it as a red flag. Would you want someone working for you simply for the money? My first concern would be that someone with that attitude would jump ship without blinking for a few more dollars, regardless if I offered them the potential for advancement, challenging projects, and a positive working environment.

Additionally, because this is an internal move you risk gaining the reputation of being money-hungry. You might lose any possible future job offers should an opening come up for an even more attractive position.

If this is a position you're interested in, I would "...waste my time or theirs..." and go through the interview process.

There are only three times when you should put salary negotiations before discussions of position expectations: never, never and never.

Nonetheless, you don?t state whether you are an ?insider? or ?outsider?. If you were the ?exception? to the ?internal posting?, and were invited from the outside to talk with them anyway, they most likely know what you have to offer, but they don?t know your present salary requirements. If you are simply another one of the ?insiders?, they know that information anyway. Either way, it would behoove you to discuss the position first. Managing one?s career is never a real waste of time. You could interview with ten different people without finding that ?perfect? job, but it need not be a ?waste of time?. You have, after all, discovered ten things/places that don?t fit your goals. In addition, you should not let money be your guiding factor. The real key is to know what you want to do and learn to do it well, hopefully better than anyone else. The money will follow success, not the other way around.

Talk to them anyway. Leave the $$ discussions to whenever they bring up the subject. If you ask for an amount more than what they have in mind, the difference lies in the perception of how the position (and you) can improve their current business model. If you can build on that, and show them how you can be even more instrumental in ?improving the bottom line?, (the product, the process or the profit) they should be very open to hearing yourthoughts. The ?perfect? job is always a win-win for both the employer and employee.

Good luck,

jr

Having been on both sides of the interviewing table I assure you to have a salary perimeter in mind to meet the job description, location and benenfits. Any job applicant that did not know what they needed in the way of salary and benfits would not know how to be a fully functioning employee.

Give all interviewers courteous attention by completing the interview to the satisfaction of both interviewer and interviewee. Every qualified interviewer will have the salary range of the job in frontof him, and will expect you as a experienced technician or mananger to have a salary range in your mind.

If "wasting our time" is a primary issue, don't do the interview. Interviewing is the mandatory steps in being hired to a position.
And somehow you found out about this position vacancy. Use the same method to find out the attached job description. Can you imagine anyone interviewing for a job they know nothing about?

At what point the salary comes to the surface can be mutual, as each feels it along. Immediately asking is too soon. Waiting until the end of the interview is not damaging.

These interviewers are professionals at their craft. Give them all a good presentation. They know more about interviewing that you do. They do it as part of their profession.

This question was closed by the author