1 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 7
Ideas Work
That
T
he worst mis-
take you can
make when
discussing salary
during a job inter-
view: blurting out a
figure that's either
way too low or way
too high. Answering
the salary expecta-
tions question the
wrong way can cost
you a job offer. As
the head of a search firm exclusively dedicated to recruiting outpa-
tient surgery leaders, I've seen otherwise excellent candidates torpedo
their chances of landing their dream job by either lowballing them-
selves or pricing themselves out of the market by naming a desired
salary.
How to answer the salary question? Instead of stating a specific
number, ask the interviewer for the salary range. Let's say you're mak-
ing $85,000 in your current position and would happily leave for
$100,000. When you find out that the range for the position you're
interviewing for is $120,000 to $150,000, you'll be glad you didn't ask
for $100,000! Not only would you have cost yourself at least $20,000,
you've now given yourself leverage in knowing what the employer is
willing to pay (with salary ranges, it's human nature for you to fixate
on the high end and the employer to focus on the low end). Once you
know the salary range, you can feel confident answering questions
about your salary expectations with this simple phrase: "Based on
Secret to Scoring a Higher Starting Salary
• YOU GO FIRST If you're asked to name a salary during a job interview, don't reply
with a specific figure answer. Instead, ask for the position's salary range.
Jason
Meehan
