What’s Your Salary Expectation?

There are plenty of tips and tricks for rocking that interview. But if you’re unprepared to ask and answer questions about salary, women’s advancement in the company or flex-time policies, you could end up settling for less.

How to prepare?

“Have a crisp answer on your current and historical compensation. Answer professionally and without hesitation,” Laura Lee Gentry, VP of Talent Management, Strategy and Implementation for CMS Global, tells PINK.

She adds that, while intimidating, it’s important to speak up about salary expectations and ambitions. “If you want to be CEO one day, it’s not   

too brazen to share that – a man wouldn’t hesitate!”

What to ask before accepting the job? “Women need to test a company on its talent management, particularly as it pertains to their ability to grow within the organization,” Gentry explains. She recommends questions like: “Is diversity actively managed in your company? What is the highest level ever achieved by a woman in this company? Are there mechanisms in place to support [Life/Work] balance?”

Want more?

Recruit 2 Hire suggests never accepting a job on the spot, determining “non-cash” negotiables and talking with other women within the company.

If you’ll enjoy the day-to-day tasks, can make a real contribution and follow achievable metrics for success, experts say the job is probably a good fit.

Bonus PINK Link: Find out how to cultivate confidence before the interview.

By Malee Moua

“As you become more clear about who you really are, you’ll be
better able to decide what is best for you.”  Oprah Winfrey