Talking about salary is always a tricky subject. One of my first questions as I write about this is why did employers stop listing their salary ranges in the job posting? Is the answer something other than they want to get the best deal they can?
Nick Corcodolis writes Ask the Headhunter and in a recent post he sites a study done by Accountemps which asked managers when they think candidates should talk about money. The study states that 56% of executives consider it OK for candidates to bring up the topic of money in the first or second interview.
It is critical not to make the interview all about money the study experts go on to say and yes, that makes sense! But, what the survey doesn't ask is "of the people you have recently hired, how many brought up the topic of money first?" In theory, managers say they think it is OK for candidates to discuss money early in the process, however, what are their real feelings about it when it happens? My hunch is that the majority of them, no matter how much the candidate has spoken about their qualifications and value, will still be somewhat turned off by talking about money.
Certainly there is no way to prove this theory. The moral of the story, do your research on company salary bands, industry salary trends and city/regional salary so you know what you are worth when the topic is addressed!
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
