3 Tips for Discussing Pay During Interview

At the end of the day, even if you love your job, everyone goes to work to get a paycheck. Everyone need to pay for utilities, support their families, and save for retirement. But, companies want a new hire who is genuinely interested in the job and company culture, not just a paycheck.

But when are you supposed to bring up pay then? And how should you ask? We’ve got you covered.

Before you bring up pay in an interview, make sure you have some idea of the pay range (and benefits) that you should be getting. This is both to make sure your ideal pay range isn’t out of line for the position you’re interviewing for, and to ensure you know your worth. Know that you don’t have to accept the first pay offered! Negotiating is a normal part of doing business.

As we mentioned before, you don’t want to bring pay up too early in the interview process. Use the earlier interviews to get to know your employer and show you’re the best person for the job.

If the pay still doesn’t match up to what you’re looking for after getting offered the position, it’s time to negotiate. There’s no problem with asking for additional pay. If the employer can’t match the pay you want, consider asking for changes to their benefits package, such as more PTO days or hybrid/remote work.