This article was originally published by Michiel Mulderson.cult by Honeypot, a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
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Youve just landed a job interview for a technical role.
Therefore, different situations can occur when negotiating your salary during a tech interview.
But first, what do you negotiate during a salary negotiation?
What is a salary negotiation?
Lets make the following clear before we dive into different salary negotiation scenarios.
Many developers dont understand the full meaning of salary negotiations.
The first thing that comes up in their mind is agreeing on their future salary.
Yet, thats not all!
Imagine a situation where you get an exciting salary offer that is higher than your target salary.
However, the salary offer comes with few vacation days and no budget for personal development.
Would you accept this offer even though it meets your salary expectations?
To make my point clear, avoid focusing on the final salary number.
Next, lets handle different situations during a tech interview in regard to your salary.
Situation #1: Whats your current salary?
Many tech recruiters give a shot to figure out your current salary.
This information is valuable for tech recruiters.
It allows them to optimize their offer based on your previous salary.
Imagine your current salary amounts to 45,000.
Thats a great offer!
However, you might not know that the tech recruiter has a much larger margin for hiring new employees.
The tech recruiter has likely received an upper constraint, for instance, 60,000.
Therefore, its beneficial for you not to disclose your current salary.
Here are possible answers to this question.
Situation #2: What salary do you expect?
Again, make a run at avoid answering questions regarding your salary expectations.
As mentioned before, recruiters receive salary bands for particular skill levels.
Therefore, have a go at point this question in the opposite direction.
The following replies would work well in this situation.
This information allows you to confirm that your salary expectations fall within or outside these bands.
It should give tech recruiters a good insight into your expectations.
check that to first receive a salary offer before disclosing your salary expectations.
If thats not possible, ask for salary bands.
Most often, thats not a good sign.
Perhaps, the company doesnt have the means to offer you the requested salary.
When negotiating a salary, you should ask for 5 to 10% more than your target salary.
This strategy leaves room for negotiation.
Therefore, not everything is lost when a company rejects your salary request.
You show your willingness to negotiate your salary and interest in the company.
Heres an example reply to handle this situation.
Situation #4: What do you think of a salary worth $X?
Lastly, a company offers you a salary of $X, how do you react?
Several scenarios are possible depending on your target salary or current salary.
Its your final chance to receive a better offer.
Thank you for this offer.
Although I would like to join the team, this offer is lower than my current salary.
Is this the highest salary you would like to offer me?
Sometimes its worth accepting a job with a similar salary that provides you with more benefits.
This is a good offer.
As it sounds very encouraging, I would say we are close.
Is it possible to discuss other benefits, such as receiving 40 vacation days instead of 30 vacation days?
Most people would accept this offer.
But remember theres always a margin for salary offers.
In this situation, its best to negotiate better perks and agree on the salary.
Thank you for the offer!
I think we are on the same page about the salary.
Yet, I would like to discuss the number of vacation days.
Is it possible to increase the number of vacation days to 40 days?
That would be appreciated!
Should you ask for a higher salary than your target salary?
Many software engineers feel uncomfortable negotiating their salary.
This section answers your question if you should ask for a higher salary than your target salary.
The answer is simple yes!
Some of you are afraid of applying this strategy as you might miss out on interesting opportunities.
Most companies know about the salary negotiation game and wont abort an interview process based on your salary request.
On top of that, theyve already invested time in you and shown their interest in hiring you.
In the end, if a company aborts the salary negotiation process, perceive it as a good filter.
Dont feel bad about missing out on opportunities that are not worth your attention.
Most likely, the company cant offer you the target salary.
In conclusion, dont go blindly in an interview.
Also, confirm to research the company.
A recently funded company will have higher salary bands than a self-supporting startup.
Story by.cult
.cult by Honeypot is a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
