Interview Advice

contrary_devil

Hi all
I have two questions about interviews I would like advice on please. I'm male and early 50's.

For the most part the jobs I apply for are at the lower end of the scale, general operative/semi skilled type of work, when I attend interviews I wear a suit, shirt and tie. Would that be considered being overdoing it and if so what would be considered appropriate?
At an interview about two years agi I was asked what my expected income was and I just gave a figure off the top of my head and I can't help but think that was why I wasn't offered a position as I might have put too high a figure to the interviewers. Is there a right or wrong way to answer the expected wages question?


Thanks in advance for any replies.

M442

I think a suit is appropriate for an interview unless otherwise stated.
If you say you expect to be paid well above what they had in mind, then they may assume you won't be interested. Might be a good idea to have an idea of what you think is a reasonable salary in your mind.

GaGa21

Or maybe a reply that you take all factors into consideration in accepting a job offer so salary is negotiable. Then you can decide if it's enough and accept or reject.

OMM 0000

contrary_devil wrote: »

Is there a right or wrong way to answer the expected wages question?

Yes, it definitely shouldn't be a figure off the top of your head!

If you're not sure what you should get, you can say something like "whatever the market rate is".

You can also bounce the question back to them, and ask "well what is your budget for the role?" or "what are you hoping to pay?".

Alternatively you can do some research to find out what sort of salaries people are paid for these sorts of roles. A quick way to do this is to find a similar role being advertised by a recruiter, ring them for a chat, and ask them roughly what sort of money should you expect to be paid.

whoopsadaisy

contrary_devil wrote: »

Hi all
I have two questions about interviews I would like advice on please. I'm male and early 50's.

For the most part the jobs I apply for are at the lower end of the scale, general operative/semi skilled type of work, when I attend interviews I wear a suit, shirt and tie. Would that be considered being overdoing it and if so what would be considered appropriate?
At an interview about two years agi I was asked what my expected income was and I just gave a figure off the top of my head and I can't help but think that was why I wasn't offered a position as I might have put too high a figure to the interviewers. Is there a right or wrong way to answer the expected wages question?


Thanks in advance for any replies.

That could well have been the reason you weren't offered a position. If everything goes perfectly in an interview but your salary expectation is well out of line with what the company is prepared to pay, then they may think that offering you a position would be a waste of their time - seeing as you expect X amount and they're only prepared to pay Y.

If you can find out how much the position is paying before the interview, do so. There's no harm in asking during the initial screening call - salary is a legitimate variable that you may want to consider before deciding whether or not this job is right for you. If you can't, do some research into industry averages, or if all else fail, deflect the question like other posters have suggested.

When company's ask for your salary expectation, the only way you're going to go wrong is if you're not honest / transparent about it. The company wants to know that if they were to offer you a position tomorrow, how much money will it take for you to accept. So actually give it some thought and be realistic with your expectations. It's not a trick question nor is it designed to catch you out in any way.

Dressing in formal business attire unless otherwise specified is definitely the better move.

gallifreya

I also agree that business wear (ie suit or trousers, jacket and tie) is generally best for most interviews unless specifically stated.

If you have applied for a role and get a call for interview, it’s a good idea to do a bit of research (similar roles, similar size company, similar location) just to know the ballpark of the salary on offer and that it’s acceptable for you – otherwise it’s pointless for everyone and indicating a salary that is out of line with the budget for the role could easily cost you a job offer.

Perhaps something along the lines of ‘this role and being able to contribute is what is most important to me – my salary expectations are absolutely in line with the industry rates' and then even 'I’m confident that your company is competitive in the current market’ leaving any further discussions or possible negotiations for if and when a job offer materialises. If pressed, I’d always suggest throwing out a buffer figure relevant to the job advertised - for example ‘ I understand the going rate for this role is typically between 25-28k a year’ something which gives a reasonable range to hit.

I personally dislike the ‘what are you earning now’ question as it often doesn’t compare like for like (that figure could be higher or lower than the role on offer is worth for a variety of reasons) so I would deflect that back and frame a response re salary expectations as above.