Fema Employment

Job interview: How do you handle the salary question?

I'm 39 years old and served in the Air Force for my entire adult working life. I retired and am now entering the wonderful world of civilian employment. While applying with one federal agency, I was asked what pay I was hoping to get. This is not a common question in federal agencies, but this one has some discretion. It seemed kind of premature to talk numbers without an offer. I just said "should you select me, I'm sure you'll take my qualifications and work history into account and make a fair offer." Very positive interview -- we'll see. I had to wing this unexpected question, but what do you experienced folks in Civilianland do when this issue comes up?

Public Comments

1. We look up the job title on the following link. Click on find occupation, type it in, scroll to the bottom and select your state. It tells you the salary range.
2. THIS IS A COMMON situation among folks applying for a job... the people interviewing you remember thi when it was them applying .. they were scared to over bid and left it to the people hiring to determine what they are going to pay. It is better to find out what the general pay is for that particular job, and then determine if you are worth more or lwss than taht amount and state your request right from the get go.. that let's them know that you are a person capable of making a decision.
3. I love your answer, and I'll have to remember it. I usually go into interviews after researching what most people make for the position I'm interviewing for and offer a range of salaries I would consider. It's an awkward question to answer, but it serves the purpose of not wasting your time or their time in continuing the hiring process for a job that wouldn't pay well enough for you to take.
4. This is an excellent answer - you do not want to pigeon-hole yourself into a corner by being low, nor do you want to remove yourself from consideration. If the money offered (the sum package) is inappropriate you don't have to take the position, or can come back with an alternative counter, but you don't want to risk removing yourself from contention before the offer, unless your skills are in so much demand with so many offers that you need to accelerate the offer negotiation process.
5. You have a right to know what kind of salary you can expect. How can you make an intelligent decision if you don't? The interviewer won't be put off by the question. You should have a ball park figure in mind. Unless it is a public employment job, your salary should be open to some negotiation. Don't be afraid to broach the question. You never had to worry about this in the Air Force. If the figure you have in mind is a little high it will just show how much you value yourself.
6. Bill, google the position and then google for the salary range for that position. That way you will know what you can look forward to at future interviews.
7. I think you handled that just right...no surprise. I know what I'm worth and I'm not afraid to say it...if they don't pay what I'm worth it's back to the pavement.
8. First, congratulations on your military retirement. :) I think your response was stellar considering the circumstances. I've also never really known what to do with this question. I find it much easier when they just come out with an offer. I say, though, to aim $5,000 more than your highest salary. You never know what you might get. And no employer can really blame you for aiming higher. That's not a hard and fast rule, but it makes sense in my head.