As a manager, I have been amused by the different approaches that some interviewees have taken over the years. There are a couple of interviews that stand out as Oscar nominees for Best Arrogant Performance.
Performance number one features an inexperienced and newly titled interviewee whom I’ll call “Pug.” Pug showed up for the interview on time, was well dressed and seemed well prepared for the interview.
I opened the interview with a simple greeting, offered Pug something to drink, and let him know what was going to happen in the interview. Before I could ask my first question, Pug informed me of his salary expectations and told me that there were other companies willing to meet his expectations. I can tell you that their expectations were about twice what we normally pay newly graduated candidates and I knew we could never pay Pug what he was looking for. I decided to acknowledge that Pug had a salary expectation and frankly I followed the motions for the remainder of the interview. I had already made my decision to “decline” in the first few minutes of the interview.
Performance number two features a highly qualified and experienced candidate whom I will call “Kip.” Kip had an extensive resume with experience that would be valuable to me and it showed many promise. I wasn’t completely convinced of Kip, so I was looking forward to our interview. Throughout the interview, his tone was “you have to convince me why I should come to work for you” and let me know that it would take “a lot of money” to get him away from his current job. I was very disappointed that someone I initially felt had a promise turned into an arrogant mercenary looking to put his services to the highest bidder. Kip ended up staying at his current employer and did not come to work with me.
Both performances had a common thread running through them. They both brought compensation into the discussion before he had a chance to decide if he wanted them as employees. Now don’t get me wrong; compensation is an important component of why we work; the mortgage has to be paid, the children need braces, and the government wants its share. You need to ensure that you receive fair compensation for the work you do. However, there is an appropriate time to discuss compensation, and that is after the employer has already decided that they want you and you have decided that you want to be an employee. Before I get too deep into this, I’m going to assume that you’ve done some basic duties at work and that you don’t expect to make $ 100,000 per year for a job that will pay $ 30,000. If there is such a big gap, realign your expectations or skip the interview process.
Assuming there is a match in compensation expectations, your priorities in the interview process should begin with defining qualifications. Most successful ad campaigns don’t show you the price of the product first and then explain the value they provide. They make you see how the product meets a need you have and then tell you how much it will cost (and what a good deal it is for you!). Your interview strategy is no different; you want to show how you meet a need and how you can resolve a potential employer’s problem before discussing compensation. Once an employer understands your qualification and visualizes its value to the company, they can better focus on compensation.
Want some ideas on how to get your grades down first? Look these:
- Show them you want the job – Ask good questions that show your interest in the job. Take an interest and let the interviewer see it. Don’t worry if you are losing influence in the negotiation because you are showing interest. You want him or her to be excited about the prospects of you doing the job.
- Don’t play hard to get – Showing disinterest or disregard for work to get the prospective employer to court you from your current job is just bad form. Most of the time, the prospective employer will walk away instead of playing your game. Come as a prima donna and it can backfire on you and you’ll miss out on the job you really wanted.
- Find a problem and offer your help to solve it. If during your interview you bring to light a real-life problem that the prospective employer is experiencing, offer to do some research and write an article about some things that could be done to solve the problem, it will make a big impression. If your offer is accepted, burn the midnight oil if necessary to express your thoughts and send it to them within 24 hours of your interview. The couple of times interviewees have done that with me, I was impressed not only by the content they provided, but also by their initiative and responsiveness. Both interviewees eventually ended up as employees.
- Talk like you already have the job – I like when interviewees use the language “we” during an interview. I didn’t see it as presumptuous; I saw him as the interviewee who wanted to be part of a team and dig deep and get things done. Don’t be afraid to speak as if you were a business person; Your interviewer is trying to assess your fit within the company, so show him.
Establish yourself as a viable and qualified candidate before negotiating compensation. Your best chance to ensure a fair compensation package is to first get the interviewer really wanting you by showing your skills, showing initiative, and showing your desire to be an employee. Make him love you first and then talk about compensation.
