How to ask about your salary at an interview

For many of us, asking about money is a very uncomfortable situation. We don’t know anyone, who would be comfortable speaking about salaries, especially at a job interview. How to not tense up when it comes to discussing your pay check? How to react correctly and when to speak up? We’ll give you some tips.

What to do when this question comes up? There are several options.

If you’re going in for a job interview through a recruitment agency,, you’ve “sealed the deal”, because the recruiter negotiates your pay check for you. The recruiter’s aim is to make sure that your salary terms and conditions are settled with the employer in advance. If you have requirements that are beyond the terms of the offer, the recruiter’s aim is to try and negotiate ideal terms and conditions for both parties. Therefore, once at the interview, you no longer have to worry about whether or not you have asked for too much or not enough.

However, if you’re attending a job interview on your own, without a recruiter, you should prepare for the salary question in advance and consider whether your pay terms and conditions are acceptable for the company or not. If the ad states the financial remuneration, then this gives you an idea and you can base your ask on the pay range that the company is advertising. Try to stick to the budget that is advertised. Generally speaking, there’s no need to underestimate yourself – even if your salary is currently lower; this also applies vice versa. If you are interested in the job offer, then don’t ask for more than the company is advertising. However, if the salary is not mentioned, then it’s up to you to guesstimate whether it’s worth it for the company to accept your pay terms and conditions. In this case, it’s more like reading out of a crystal ball.

You can always turn the tables and ask the HR professional something like: “how much does this position pay because this piece of information was missing in the ad.” This way you are saving yourself the unpleasant moment and the HR manager may be taken aback by your high demands. If you want to be even more prepared, check out www.platy.cz, where you can find an estimate of the salary.

When to ask about the salary?

Never – if that’s an option. Wait until the HR manager asks you. Your pay is always a question of supply and demand. In today’s world, most employers send their pay offers either directly or by means of the recruitment agency. The best-case scenario is if you are satisfied with the offer. In this case, you can confirm the offer and look forward to starting a new job.

If you’re not satisfied with the pay, the recruiter may negotiate the salary for you – then you’ve got it made. The recruiter’s aim is to ensure that both parties successfully agree on all the terms and conditions. If you’re not satisfied, yet see that the company is interested in employing you, ask for a salary that you would be willing to work for or find out what the terms and conditions are for getting the pay check you want. Based on our experience, most employers nowadays try their best to negotiate with the candidates.

There are times, when the company makes a job offer right on the spot, during the interview. This may throw you off a bit. After all, nervousness plays a role in interviews. To avoid making bad decisions, we recommend taking your time to decide and definitely ask the HR professional to e-mail you the job offer. Once you get home and get comfortable, you can take your calculator out and see if the offer is worth it or not. This is when it pays off to have a recruiter because you can discuss this agenda with him and take advantage of his experience from the labour market.

Read here to find out how to shine at an interview and how to avoid the most common mistakes.