Ask About the Salary and the Selection Process
Question 44
How Many People Are You Interviewing for This Position?
Companies use recruiters and machines to make decisions related to filling positions. They search for key words and skills in cover letters and resumes and then choose a dozen or so people to interview. They know the number of people interviewing and the target start date for the position. When they share this number with you, they give you a sense of the competition and the timing of the process. You will want to know about both, the competition for the job and the timing, so do not be afraid to ask this and other questions related to the process, which are, in many respects, the most important questions you can ask.
The average number of people who apply for any job is 118, according to a Forbes Magazine article in 2017! That typically gets winnowed down to 25 or so, then to 10, maybe. After that, a handful will be offered a face-to-face interview. In any event, know how much competition you face.
Companion Questions to This One
45. What is the process for selection of the final candidate?
46. What is the salary range for this position?
47. What is the benefit package and is it negotiable?
48. How would you describe, in one word, working at this company?
49. How did I do in this interview?
50. When will I find out that I have been chosen?
What Is the Process for Selection of the Final Candidate?
Your interviewer either will, or will not, have some kind of obvious process for selection (or will have a loose one floating around inside his/her cranium). I always asked human resources (HR) to provide 10 or 12 people for me to interview. Based on the results of those interviews, I created a short list of three or four. I then asked my staff to interview these finalists. From start to finish, the interview and selection process took 4 to 6 weeks. Added to the time it took to justify replacing or creating the position, placing the order with HR, placing the ad, collecting responses (usually 100–200), scanning 175, reading 25, setting up the interviews, interviewing, choosing a candidate, and making an offer (to be followed by the new person’s two- to four-week notice at their current position).
After that, we might have given a test (a writing sample for a writer), done a background check, a reference check, and then made an offer in writing.
Companion Questions to This One
44. How many people are you interviewing for this position?
46. What is the salary range for this position?
47. What is the benefit package and is it negotiable?
48. How would you describe, in one word, working at this company?
49. How did I do in this interview?
50. When will I find out that I have been chosen?
What Is the Salary Range For This Position?
Most employers have established a range of compensation for their positions. Let’s say the range is $60,000 to $80,000. Many employers will also bring new people into the organization at the mid-point, in this case, $70,000. Many try to bring people in below the mid-point, especially so that they have a chance to receive salary increases in the position. By the way, if you are asked, “What are your salary requirements?” You should ask, in return, what is the salary range and then ask to be brought in at the mid-point. I tease my students and tell them to answer the question about salary requirements, “I have no upward limit!” Hey, even interviewers like a little humor to break the tension of an interview!
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (May 2018), “A traditional salary range is commonly 30 to 40 percent. It is common that top salary grades (i.e., for executives and top management) have a wider range (sometimes greater than a range of 40 percent), and that the lowest salary grades often have the narrowest range (sometimes smaller than 30 percent)1.
Giving a new employee a salary too close to the top means giving yearly increases that quickly take the employee to the maximum salary range. That, of course, gives no incentive to work harder.
Companion Questions to This One
44. How many people are you interviewing for this position?
45. What is the process for selection of the final candidate?
47. What is the benefit package, and is it negotiable?
48. How would you describe, in one word, working at this company?
49. How did I do in this interview?
50. When will I find out that I have been chosen?
What Is the Benefit Package, and Is It Negotiable?
Many enlightened employers use the benefits package to recruit, as it is much more flexible than the salary schedule. You might negotiate more vacation, in lieu of the smaller salary. You might ask that your student loan be paid off. You might ask that your expected MBA studies be financed. You might ask for a four-day, 10-hour per day work schedule. Use your imagination!
To negotiate changes to the benefits package, make sure you pursue this in a manner that places you in the best position to get those benefits that matter most to you.
Review these rules from Harvard’s Deepak Melhotra:
Don’t underestimate the importance of likability. This sounds basic, but it’s crucial: People are going to fight for you only if they like you.
Help them understand why you deserve what you’re requesting. It’s not enough for them to like you. They also have to believe you’re worth the offer you want. Never let your proposal speak for itself—always tell the story that goes with it.
Make it clear they can get you. If you intend to negotiate for a better package, make it clear that you’re serious about working for this employer.
Understand the person across the table. Companies don’t negotiate; people do. And, before you can influence the person sitting opposite you, you have to understand them.
Understand their constraints. They may like you. They may think you deserve everything you want. But they still may not give it to you. Why? Because they may have certain ironclad constraints, such as salary caps, that no amount of negotiation can loosen.
Therefore, focus on benefits and nonsalary items such as repayment of student loan debt, travel expenses, rent subsidies, and so on.
Be prepared for tough questions. Before a company makes concessions, they want to know you are ready and willing to step into the position in their timeframe. Many job candidates have been hit with difficult questions they were hoping not to face: Do you have any other offers? If we make you an offer tomorrow, will you say yes? Are we your top choice2?
Negotiation requires skill and attention. Be certain you are ready when you begin to negotiate.
Companion Questions to This One
44. How many people are you interviewing for this position?
45. What is the process for selection of the final candidate?
46. What is the salary range for this position?
48. How would you describe, in one word, working at this company?
49. How did I do in this interview?
50. When will I find out that I have been chosen?
How Would You Describe, in One Word, Working at This Company?
You will spend the rest of your life working (unless you hit the lottery or invent the next step in artificial intelligence). So, you should decide here and now to find work that satisfies and fulfills you. If your interviewer says that the place is intense, that’s one thing. If she answers that the organization is innovative, that’s quite another. Or, perhaps she’ll say collaborative. That one word can make all the difference. Maybe, she’ll say it’s fun and she can’t wait to get to work every day.
Should employees have fun at work? Absolutely. Look at this research from an article entitled, “Should employees have fun at work?”
1. Having fun improves communication. Research sponsored by Alfresco concludes that 65 percent of knowledge workers collaborate multiple times a day. Fun improves communication, and therefore, encouraging fun could be a great way to improve the quality of that collaboration.
2. Having fun helps us learn better. In a video interview with business psychologist Simon Kilpatrick, we learn that people learn better when they are having fun. So, if continuous improvement and development is important to a company and its brand, then that company should encourage fun at work.
3. Having fun makes employees more productive. According to research published by CIPHR, productivity is directly linked to happiness. And, when employees are having fun, they tend to be happier3. So, try to find an employer that encourages a positive, sometimes fun environment.
The bottom line is that you must ask this question to see what spontaneous, and usually accurate, answer you receive.
Companion Questions to This One
44. How many people are you interviewing for this position?
45. What is the process for selection of the final candidate?
46. What is the salary range for this position?
47. What is the benefit package, and is it negotiable?
49. How did I do in this interview?
50. When will I find out that I have been chosen?
How Did I Do in This Interview?
I always encourage students to ask, after the interview, “How did I do?” You are entitled to an answer, even though most will be unprepared to give you one. They will likely hem and haw before finally saying something noncommittal. So, why bother? You may find someone who gives you an honest answer. And, as always, you want to leave the session knowing the interviewer will remember you. Ask a difficult question, and this might happen.
Should an interviewer answer truthfully, you may gain valuable information that could improve your interviewing skills. You may rephrase the question to, “Do you have any suggestions to improve my interviewing?” Interviewing is a process, and as such, we can learn to improve our technique from those on the receiving end of our efforts. And, remember what one interviewer disliked, another may welcome. For example, an interviewer may say you were too aggressive. A sales position needs a certain amount of aggression and assertiveness. Say, thank you, and accept their feedback.
Companion Questions to This One
44. How many people are you interviewing for this position?
45. What is the process for selection of the final candidate?
46. What is the salary range for this position?
47. What is the benefit package, and is it negotiable?
48. How would you describe, in one word, working at this company?
50. When will I find out that I have been chosen?
When Will I Find Out That I Have Been Chosen?
Notice that I didn’t say, “If I have been chosen.” You need to target the two or three places where you want to work and then do whatever is necessary to get a job there. Find out who interviews. Get to know them, if you can. Learn their needs and figure out how you can satisfy them. Go to the interview prepared and be confident. Ask questions. Help the interviewing process. Be enthusiastic. Be interesting. Be hard, no, be impossible to reject. See yourself in the job.
It may sound New Age, but I believe in positive visualization. I once asked for my interviewer’s business card, and when I got home, I scratched out his name and printed mine in its place. I stared at that thing and repeated a mantra, “Ed Barr, Director of Corporate Communications.” I got the job!
We don’t always get the job we set out to get. But, sometimes, we end up getting a better job. Whatever the case, positive visualization and a positive attitude work in your favor.
Companion Questions to This One
44. How many people are you interviewing for this position?
45. What is the process for selection of the final candidate?
46. What is the salary range for this position?
47. What is the benefit package, and is it negotiable?
48. How would you describe, in one word, working at this company?
1 https://shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/pages/howtoestablishsalaryranges.aspx#:~:text=A%20traditional%20salary%20range%20is,sometimes%20smaller%20than%2030%20percent)
2 https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer
3 https://peoplehr.com/blog/2018/05/30/should-employees-have-fun-atwork/#:~:text=So%20if%20continuous%20improvement%20and,they%20tend%20to%20be%20happier