Job Interview Salary Question

[ARtraveler]

What happens if you have work/technical skills that the employer is looking for?

Deanna

Those skills should make you a more valuable candidate. I would point them out to the prospective employer--but not make a big deal out of it.

Low key, to the point...and if you really like the potential position...don't be afraid to ask for the job. It is akin to closing the sale. Many salespersons miss that part.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Out of college I went to work for Westinghouse in the Navy Nuclear business. After about a year I decided to answer an ad for an engineer in a potato processing plant. When I was asked why I wanted to leave Westinghouse and change jobs I made several negative comments about my current job. Needless to say, I didn't get an offer. I realized right after the interview if I was being negative about my current employer the interviewer was undoubtedly thinking, "So, how long will be it before he starts being negative about us?" No sane interviewer is going to hire someone who may be coming in with a bunch of negative baggage. In fact, I determined that the best time to change jobs is when everything is going good with the one you have. You will exude a positive attitude that a potential employer will welcome.

When I was asked to leave Corning I asked for, and received, a 3 month reprieve before having to leave. I had several interviews and of course the interviewer wanted to know why I wanted to leave Corning. I simply said, "I don't." "Then why are you leaving?" "I'm just not one of the Friday lunch time beer drinking buddies they want to eventually be the supervisor of the engineering group." You know, in that case being fired seemed to have very little negative impact on my worth as a potential employee.

 

[asp125]

When they ask you what salary do you want, they don't really care what YOU want. They're really asking what can they afford. Salary (and benefits etc) is a cost to a business. They probably already have a budget of $X, and just seeing if you are willing to work for less or not much more.

 

[trikermutha]

Now that I am getting older I find that too much skill sets turns away employers a they dont want to pay what your worth. They rather bring in cheap and have a high turn around rate.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Sometimes a light hearted approach works! Back in 1984 I was looking for another job as the one I had servicing photocopiers wasn't a good permanent career position. After sending out answers to dozens of employment ads and not getting any responses I was getting fed up with the whole process when I saw the following ad.

You need to read this to fully understand the next item!



Here is my response!



Believe it or not, I got called in for an interview. In the end the interviewer said he could easily hire someone with more direct experience for less money, but he just had to meet the person who would answer an ad in the way I did! I took that as a compliment about my creativeness! :thumbup:

 

[Deanna777]

I do have technical skills.
Also , I am a very skilled/ hard worker.

I am might not be staying on this topic. Sorry.

Deanna

 

[Deanna777]

I agree.

They'll train younger people to work. Not the skilled workers that have experience under there belt.

Deanna

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I am might not be staying on this topic. Sorry.

Deanna

Don't worry. I started this kind of just for the fun of it, without intruding into your original thread, and just to let you and others know that job hunting and interviews aren't always dead serious stuff! There have been some good comments made. You're not alone! Many of us have had to share some of the turmoil you're dealing with now. You will make it through OK, maybe a little bit worse for the wear, and then maybe not.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

They'll train younger people to work. Not the skilled workers that have experience under there belt.

Sometimes the skilled workers can be harder to train than the young ones! It's easy for experience to create a paradigm through which one views the job. Young folks haven't developed those paradigms and so they're easier to mold and more willing to do it the company way. Offer up your experience and skills as a place from which you can move in many different directions, being willing to learn what has changed in recent years. Before I set up my own little print shop in 1976 I spent a month working in the shop of a friend for no pay to learn the basics. About two years later I was talking with my friend's son, who had been in the business many years, about printing photographs. There are three different exposures to make the negative for the printing plate and I was talking to Bob about them. About one of them he said, "I've never used that one." He had learned a way to do it, and hadn't explored variations. Me, I didn't know a thing about it so I readily did what all the gurus said you should do!

When I went to work for the US Army I asked the branch chief, after a few months, what it was about my application that prompted him to offer me a job. He said, "Adaptability. When I saw your work history I was confident you could learn the QA field and fit in with us!" I now had a name, process control, for what I had intuitively learned running my print shop.

 

[cruisinTX]

A career coach I worked with some time back told me how to answer this question. First understand that you will never get more than you ask for. Second, they have no way of knowing exactly what you make in your current position nor any legal way to find out. Third, if you ask for more than they are willing to pay, if they wanted you in the first place, they will counter. If they do not counter or just say its too much, they were not going to hire you in the first place. Lastly know what you are worth and have no fear asking for it. Its not rude or forward and they asked the question.

Those things being what they are and if you are looking at a position roughly equal to what you are currently doing or slightly above, add 20% to your current salary and ask for that. When you give them the number tell them you are looking to get a small bit of a raise to make the move but leave it vague.

Yup. I might add to that; it will pay you to do a little market research on the type of job you are seeking. Take a look at what similar jobs are paying in your area so you can be realistic with your number. But don't be shy about asking for a respectable and fair increase over your current salary.

 

[Deanna777]

Thanks!

I'll survive, it has been very stressful. At my age I sure didn't need this right now.

Deanna

 

[Deanna777]

Now a days the younger people don't want to start at the bottom of the work pole, they want to start at the top, of the work pole.

They don't want to work, but they just want the "BIG PAY CHECKS". I realize they don't have the job knowledge/or experience that the Experienced workers have. The Experienced workers have been in the work force longer. I am glad that I grew up when I did( in the 70's, 80's, 90's, current ).

Deanna

 

[trikermutha]

Wow I been saying the same thing about the younger generation..All they want is big money for doing nothing..

Not saying all of them but a good majority has that mentality.

They keep complaining about training but dont want to put any effort into anything like Technical schools or outside the work place schools.

 

[UtahPete]

Wow I been saying the same thing about the younger generation..All they want is big money for doing nothing..Not saying all of them but a good majority has that mentality. They keep complaining about training but dont want to put any effort into anything like Technical schools or outside the work place schools.

I don't think there is anything different about the 'younger generation' with respect to their dreams, hopes, expectations or work ethic. They do tend to be more educated than our generation entering the work force, tech-savvy and not set in their ways yet. I think every generation has made the same observation about succeeding generations. It's just a natural bias, not based in fact.

 

[Deanna777]

Each year the State of Vermont is loosing a lot of the younger people,they are going to the other states to work, or go to schools etc.

Plus the State of Vermont has high taxes. We get taxed on everything.

Deanna

 

[Revrent]

I have been very blessed in that salary never came up during any of my interviews. Let me explain further. I was mostly in the aviation field. In all of my airlines you knew how much the other person made by what seat they sat in and how many years they had been at the company (always provided on a company roster for seniority). Only one time at my first airline did pay become an issue. During one flight all of us found out that we were on overtime and the company had called us to fly an extra trip. Then one new person spoke up and said how much they were making (this was quite a bit below overtime salary). Come to find out that it was common for the company to call new hires and ask them to work overtime at a lower salary. This backfired on them as the first stop we landed at the Captain called the company and said he was not moving any further until "ALL" company employees were paid the salary as advertised and that he would ensure the info got out to all of the other crews. End result......numerous people got backpay a few weeks later.

When I went to work for my last airline I had been out of flying for over 4 years because of the downturn after 9/11. When the interviewer told me I would be making excessively more now that I was back flying than I had as a law enforcement officer (my job after 9/11), I had to tell him I was taking a 50 percent pay cut to go back to flying. I almost did not get the job because of that since I firmly believe that you NEVER bad mouth any previous job until AFTER you are hired at the new one. After a couple of questions abut why I was leaving, I thought that he was not going to hire me so I told him my philosophy. He then had me sign my new hire paperwork and said I was hired and then asked about my previous job. LOL (and then I told him)

Now that I am retired I realize that there is no such thing as a good job, except for the one your starting tomorrow or the one you had yesterday...its never the one you have today.

John

John