It would be easier for me to discuss my salary needs if I understood more about the job and how my qualifications might fit in. Could we discuss the job in more detail?
I would expect a salary that's commensurate with my experience and is appropriate to the duties and responsibilities of the job.
I imagine that the company has already established a salary range for that position. What did you have in mind?
You should have a figure in mind that's a minimum you'd accept. Generally, that would be somewhere between 10 and 20 percent more than you got in your previous position. Don't let the interviewer maneuver you into a box where you state a salary that's too low for the position or that's tied to what you made on your last job.
If, on the other hand, the interviewer appears to be stalling on the salary question, you may be spinning your wheels on the interview. Try a tactical question to try to find out where you stand.
Coping with Questions about Career Problems
How do you handle those really tough questions when you've had some problems during your career? The toughest areas to handle:
- You had trouble on your last job(s) and know you'll have one or more poor references.
- You've been unemployed for a long period of time.
- You've had a number of jobs recently. You've either been job-hopping or you've had trouble handling the job and have been let go.
- You are obviously overqualified for the position for which you are applying.
A long period of unemployment might be turned to advantage by pointing out that you'd used that time period to learn new skills and update existing ones.
If you don't want to be questioned about a problem area or areas in an interview, you can be sure the interviewer will question you about it or them. Whatever the problem, try to meet it head on. Don't try to evade the question, remain silent, exhibit fear or become angry.
Those are the questions to practice answering with family members or friends until you come with responses that will put you in the most favorable light, without lying, yet will honestly answer the interviewer's question.
Handling Questions Related to Age
Another batch of really tough questions relate directly or indirectly to your age. They are tough to answer, and you have to prepare some kind of response in advance.
In the first, you are asked questions about your profession or career area to determine whether or not you've kept your skills up to date. (The prospective employer is afraid that your skills are obsolete.) The easiest answer to this kind of question is to be able to respond that you've kept current by taking seminars, by self-study, or by keeping your department at state-of-the-art level. If, however, you've been managing people and haven't stayed current, you'll use a different type of response. You say that on your most recent job assignments, you've been managing people (or worked in planning, or whatever). In essence, you made a career change and haven't been working at your original profession. You could expand by saying that you could certainly, however, manage professionals in that area.
As you already know, you can't be asked directly how old you are. But if the potential employer thinks you're too old or has a general prejudice against hiring older employees, you may be asked questions that skirt the topic. Many employers still work on the false assumption that older executives have reduced capabilities. Point out that some of the world's sharpest business people are old. Mention that as a mature person, you're more stable and would be less likely to job-hop than would a younger person. Older executives also have fewer distractions than younger executives; they have maturity and judgment; they've learned to focus on the job at hand and have positive experiences they can use as guidance.
But the best way to get around this whole area is to present an appearance and general demeanor that negates the stereotypes of age. Project vitality, energy and enthusiasm. Then, the interviewer is less likely to even consider age as a deselector.
