Salary ?

[Eclipse]

Originally posted by aabby757
I was given this hint many years ago. Maybe it will help.

First, whoever bring up money first is at a disadvantage so don't bring it up. I was taught to respond, "What would a person with my qualifications and expertise, do you feel, would be a fair compensation?" Or something like that. If up against a wall, I would highball it.

This will only work with a hiring manager. If you have an experienced recruiter they will throw that ball right back in your court. This question is used to see if you are truly a viable candidate.
Good companies are not trying to get a great candidate at a "steal" price by trying to see if you would take much less that they were originally willing to offer, although they are not above getting a slight discount As someone else said, do some research on what is typical for the job and then give a range (i.e. Based on my research, someone with my skills and experience could expect a total compensation package of $XX - XX and that sounds reasonable to me. My salary requirements are negotiable, however, depending on the position requirements and other factors." ) Also use total compensation package as your $$ amount and take into consideration things like bonus, benefits, vacation, etc. Using the TCP allows you to be much more flexible and stealthy (is that a word) than using just base salary. If the company assumes your TCP requirements are really your base requirements and they are ok with that....oh well!

Highballing can be dangerous unless you know your skill set is in high demand. If you come too high the company might assume that they cannot afford you and stop recruiting for that reason.