Salary questions are asked because they're a perfect way to tell you you're "overqualified" or "just not senior enough." They screen you out in the safest way, without risking a visit from the equal employment authorities.
Most of the time, you'll be earning less in your current job than the target job pays, so give yourself every chance to increase current salary. Will you be receiving an increase soon? Do you get supercharged overtime? Is there an automatic bonus system? Pay in lieu of vacation? You won't be taking a vacation if you accept a new job. When benefits and non-salary compensation are added up, most jobs "pay" 20 to 30 percent more than people write on applications. Doesn't your boss remind you of this from time to time? Remind your boss of that fact when the time comes to confirm your salary.
As with everything else, be honest. But be fair to yourself. They shouldn't be asking the question in the first place. Salary requirements are a trap just waiting to be sprung. The chances of your being too high or too low on a resume or application are almost 1 to 1. Your real salary requirement is "more," but if you must answer the question in that little rectangle or line on the application, write "Open." If it says, "Don't write 'Open'," write "Negotiable." Spell it correctly, though.
The Script: Know the Answers in Advance
Keep your options open until you're in the interview, where you can drive up your value and safely state just the right amount. I don't know of a single case over the past 25 years where an employer has rejected someone before an interview for not stating a specific salary requirement on a resume or application. But I know of hundreds of applicants whose salary numbers excluded them.
Applicants are concerned with eating, so they don't realize how negotiable and unimportant salary is to employers. Even the most structured compensation systems allow for hiring above the "rate range." Creating additional positions for the exceptions is done all the time.
Artificial salary constraints are a great negotiating tool, but they rarely stop employers from getting someone they want. Don't let them stop you. Instead, carefully plan your answers to the inevitable questions. Here's how:
Q. What salary are you worth?
A. An employee's worth is measured by his or her contribution to an employer. I expect to contribute and to be paid a salary commensurate with that contribution. I know you'll be fair. Otherwise, I wouldn't accept or stay.
Once hired, my first priority is to do the job I'm being paid to do. And, if I perform well, I expect to advance accordingly. However, money is not foremost in my mind. Too much concern about the paycheck can lead to a poor attitude and result in a poor job. As long as my focus is doing the best job possible, I doubt I'll have anything to worry about.
Q. Do you expect to be rewarded for work you consider to be well done?
A. Not necessarily. In the world of work, the rewards don't always follow the effort. Like most people, I want to have my income increase. But, as a mature person, I realize that there are other considerations, too. Recognition in the form of monetary reward is always gratifying, but it can be more fulfilling to meet a challenge with success, and see the results of your efforts on the job. That's a personal type of reward no amount of money can buy.
I've always looked upon making a living as only one part of making a living. The feeling I get when my extra effort results in excellence is the real reward. If others don't recognize my achievements, there's always the next project.
Q. What would you like to be earning (two/five/ten) years from now?
A. At any point in my career, I'd like my salary to keep pace with inflation and be competitive with what similar positions pay.
However, I don't see myself as an "average" employee. I always strive for "excellent" and never settle for anything less than "above average." So, logically, my income should reflect that. As long as my paycheck is an investment by the company that earns a return, the higher the rate of return the more it should invest. If I'm not performing at any time, I shouldn't be here. I have no illusions about employment as a value for value relationship.
Q. What is your salary history?
A. I'd be happy to give you specific numbers, and percentages of increase, from year to year, but I'm not able to recite them from memory now. Salary just isn't as important to me as an opportunity. At every salary review, I received merit increases. My salary has always been a reflection of my work progress and contribution to my employer's success. Anything less than that doesn't work for long.
Q. Have you ever been turned down for a salary increase?
A. I haven't had to "ask" for a "raise." My performance evaluations were always positive, and my salary reviews consistently resulted in increases. In some years, the increases were lower than in others due to overall financial conditions. But, have I ever been refused a raise because of inadequate performance? No.
Q. Do you have any outside income?
(This is none of their business and shouldn't even be considered when determining your suitability for the job. Your spouse's income is not yours, so your answer should be "no." They don't need to know that you receive a nice monthly check from a trust fund set up by a grandparent. "Child support payments" are income you receive on behalf of your children, not yourself. So, unless you have another job or income from a business on the side, your answer is always "no."
Of course, if you're in the National Guard or any of the military reserves, do explain. Since most employers support these, consenting to a little invasion of privacy might advance you directly from maneuvers onto the battlefield.
But, if you do derive additional income from part-time or self-employment, plan your response thoughtfully. Will the interviewer perceive your "moonlighting" as an interference with the target job? Consider this sample answer:
I occasionally work part-time in the evenings or on weekends as a (bartender/private duty nurse/CIA operative) but I have no other professional commitment on a regular basis. I have the right of refusal, and the people I work with understand my priorities. I never let "fill in" work interfere with my primary job. It's just been a source of extra income from time to time.
