How to Answer the Salary Question

Why it’s Important… and Tricky

You may be wondering what the big deal about the money question is; yet it’s one question that often stumps job candidates. Not only that, but it can change the climate of an interview from red hot to ice cold as a result of a few digits of difference in thinking.

Why do companies ask job candidates the salary question? Ultimately, company leaders and HR professionals want to know if they can afford you before they invest time and resources courting you to come to work for them.

Some employers are bargain hunting. Despite a general market value for certain positions, some companies place a bigger premium on certain positions than other companies. This means that the salary they expect to pay for a certain position may be lower or higher than the going rate.

Another possible reason is that they’re trying to see how you value your work. Are you confident enough to ask for what you deserve or will you meekly accept whatever they offer?

► Your mission: Sell them on you, and convince them of your worth to their organization before you reach the point of salary negotiations.

Redmond Salary Negotiation

Present your value.

Even if you’ve done you’re due diligence in researching salary levels for the position, you might not get what you’re worth unless you can prove that you’re worth it. “In serious salary negotiations, it is all about value proposition, If the company believes your value to be in multiples of your cost, you will have negotiating room. The higher your perceived value, the stronger your negotiating position.” If the employer doesn’t think you have greater than expected value, you will not negotiate more than a token handout.

To convince the hiring manager that your documented, numerical contributions far exceed your total financial package cost, he says you must describe the size of the problems you solve. “This is the heart of your ability to ask for more money. “They can hire anyone for routine tasks, but they mostly judge your value by the level of difficulty of problems you solve. They pay well for those who exceed expectations for performance.”

Seattle Salary Negotiations

When you’re finally down to the wire on your impending job offer, there will come a time to talk numbers. “That one last conversation — where you negotiate salary — can unnerve even the most savvy job seeker.”

While most employers expect you to come back with a counteroffer, many job candidates avoid the practice and leave money on the table. “You don’t have to be one of them,” she says. “You’d be well served in your career to become comfortable with the process. You get one chance to accept a final compensation package at your company, so be prepared to make a persuasive argument.”

So how do you stay true to your target without alienating the hiring manager or hurting your prospects?

First, to prepare for that discussion, you’ll want to do your research ahead of time and figure out what someone with your experience and skills typically makes in this particular role.

Once you hear their offer and it’s time to negotiate, you should keep those numbers in mind, “but also consider the nature of the first offer and how much bargaining power you think you have,” Taylor says. And think about whether you’re currently under- or overpaid.

As a general rule of thumb, however, it’s usually appropriate to ask for 10% to 20% more than what you’re currently making. 

That means if you’re making $50,000 a year now, you can easily ask for $55,000 to $60,000 without seeming greedy or getting laughed at.

“If the original offer is on the low side of the scale, you have more leverage,” Taylor explains. “If you get an offer for 20% over your current salary, you can still negotiate for more — ask for an additional 5% — but know that you’re already in good stead.”

The bottom line: Do the math (and your research!) beforehand — know what a 10% to 20% pay increase would total, and what the going rate for someone with your skills is — and ask for that amount. Worst case scenario, the employer says “no.”

Bellevue Sample Thank-you letter

This is a sample letter, its just a template please customize to fit your situation

Good afternoon, XYZ,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me yesterday about the staff writer position with Business News Daily.

It was a pleasure meeting with you, and I truly enjoyed learning more about the role and the company. After our conversation, I am confident that my skills and experiences are a great match for this opportunity.

I am very enthusiastic about the possibility of joining your team and would greatly appreciate a follow-up as you move forward with the hiring process. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me by email or phone. Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you in the near future.

Best regards,
ABC

Asking for Job References in Seattle,

When you ask for a reference, both whom and how you ask for this employment reference is really important. You need to be sure that the person who is recommending you for employment is willing and able to give you a good reference. This is critical because your references can be what makes the difference in getting – or not getting – a job offer.

In addition, you shouldn’t give out anyone’s name as a reference without their permission. The individual who is giving you a reference needs to know ahead of time that they may be contacted regarding a reference for you.

How To Ask For an Employment Reference

If you are in fact asked to submit employment references, you can ask for a reference by phone or by email. Email can be a good way to request a reference, because if the person isn’t comfortable recommending you it can be easier to decline by sending an email message than by telling you in person.

When you ask for reference, don’t just say “Could you give me a reference?” or “Could you write a reference letter for me?” Instead, ask “Do you think you know my work well enough to provide me with a reference?” or “Do you feel comfortable giving me a reference?” or “Do you feel you could give me a positive reference?” This way, your reference giver has an out if they don’t believe they can provide a strong endorsement or if they don’t have the time to write a letter or take phone calls from employers on your behalf.

When the person you are asking for a reference replies positively, offer to provide them with an updated copy of your resume, to share your LinkedIn profile, if you have one, and to provide information on your skills and experiences so your reference has current and relevant information on your employment history and skills.

How to Ask for a LinkedIn Reference

It’s easy to request a recommendation via LinkedIn’s messaging system. When you request a recommendation, ask the person to recommend you if they can and if they have the time. This way they have an out if they aren’t interested in giving you a reference, are precluded by company policy from giving references, or don’t feel they know you well enough to recommend your work.

3 Things you need from every job

A Safe and Supportive Environment

Let’s start with the basics. You’re more than worthy of feeling safe and supported in your office. You should be able to bring your authentic self (your authentic professional self, of course) into work and not feel worried or threatened when doing so.
Rest assured that your expectations in regards to feeling secure in your surroundings aren’t unreasonable or out of line. Nobody should have to head into the office day in and day out wondering who’s going to throw them under the bus or stab them in the back. You’re entitled to a basic sense of respect and a company culture that isn’t overflowing with toxicity.

A Boss Who’s Invested in Your Growth

When it comes to your career, your manager should be your greatest ally. They should be in the loop on your desires and plans for professional development and provide necessary support and guidance whenever they can.
If you feel like your supervisor is always undermining your accomplishments, offering criticisms that are in no way constructive, and is completely disinterested in your growth and advancement, know that you’re justified in wanting more.
Your boss doesn’t necessarily have to be your biggest cheerleader, but they should at least be in your corner.

An Appreciation for Your Contributions

There’s dignity in all work. Your job exists for a reason. Regardless of your specific role, you’re serving your company in some important way—whether you’re in the mail room or in the corner office.
That means you shouldn’t ever be made to feel worthless. You should pack up and head home every evening knowing that your contributions matter and are respected by the people that you work with.
No, you shouldn’t expect ice cream cakes and celebrations in your honor each and every week. But, there’s a big difference between that excessive level of recognition and simply feeling heard and valued for what you bring to the table.

List of free career aptitude tests

Free Career Aptitude Tests

The following tests are available for free online and can be a good start to identifying your next career.

123 Career Test: This popular aptitude test can help you gain insight into the careers that best fit your personality. It will help you learn what kind of work environments and occupations suit you best.

CareerOneStop Interest Assessment: Answer 30 quick questions online to get a list of careers that might be a good fit for your interests.

CareerOneStop Work Values Matcher: Answer questions about different aspects of a job or workplace to help you find your ideal work environment.

Color Career Quiz: Did you know color can be an indicator of what jobs are right for you? Color Career Quiz is a two-part quick and easy five-minute test that analyzes your personality based on the colors you select.

Test Color: Similar to Color Career Quiz above, a team of psychologists and human resources experts lead you through a two-part color selection process to determine your personality and aptitude. While the initial results are free, you can pay extra for a more in-depth analysis.

Keirsey Temperament Sorter: This test helps you to understand your personality type and discover what type of temperament you have.

Human Metrics: Using both Jung’s Typology and Myers-Briggs insights , Human Metrics takes you through 64 questions to rate you on both scales. The results explain to you how each piece relates to your personality type.

O*NET Interests Profiler: My Next Move’s O*NET Interest Profiler is administered by the United States Department of Labor. Users take a 60-question interest inventory that yields a profile of interest tendencies, including six areas: Realistic, Investigative, Social, Enterprising, Conventional, and Artistic.

PathSource: This free career exploration solution helps students and job seekers make better career choices with its free mobile app.

16 Personalities: Using the Myers-Briggs Model (hence the name), 16 Personalities is a site designed to help you understand yourself, contribute valuable data to researchers, and take tangible steps in your personal and professional relationships. While the test is completely free, most of the tools require that you join for a fee.

Red Bull Wingfinder: Take a free 35-minute online personality assessment to identify and leverage your strengths in four different areas of your personality, including connections, creativity, thinking, and drive.

Skills Matcher: The Department of Labor has developed this resource to enable users to assess the skills they want to incorporate into their careers.

Truity: Truity offers a variety of tests you can use to explore your personality career interests. There’s a free short report on the results, and there’s a fee to unlock the full report if you want more information.

CareerExplorer: CareerExplorer is a free platform for users to assess their interests, personality types, abilities, career values, and preferred work and social environments in order to find matches that will lead to satisfying careers.