In an interview, how do you answer "What is your desired salary...

In an interview, how do you answer "What is your desired salary?" without either seeming too cheap to be happy or too expensive to get the job?

Salary is a meaningless number.

By pulling down your pants and slowly inserting the nearest pen into your urethra whilst maintaining eye contact

Say a number that is about 10% higher than what you actually would like since they'll try to negotiate down from there.

i-is that really how job interviews in good company's are being done?
like more than one person sits in front of you and they look skeptical?

pretty much only when its a high level position.

Maybe for like a board position.

No most are just one person interviewing. Mine had a cute girl and I just flirted with her the whole time. 1 hour after interview I got a call saying I got the job.

Give them a number at least 25% higher than my previous salary since they use previous salary as their negotiating starting point. Try and push it up more than 10%.

Just find industry average and add 25%. You should be able to get close to there assuming you used the interview to sell yourself.

Also, don't be afraid to walk away (assuming they can't offer 10% higher than your current job).

Another tip is to interview while you have a job already, they will find out if you have one and lowball you since its better than sitting at home.

If you don't have one**

>how do you answer "What is your desired salary?
I tell them the range I want my salary to be in. You should already have a number in your head before you even send them your resume.

>without either seeming too cheap to be happy or too expensive to get the job?
Don't give a fuck about that stuff, man. Figure out what the area's average pay is for your skill set and experience and ask for a bit higher than that. If they're not willing to pay near the industry average wage then you don't want to work for them anyway.

Say something like "Enough that I can move out and get my own house"

Just say it.

This board is way too fearful when it comes to money and employers.

> I'm seeking _______________

If they say why, give them a few examples of your value.

My salary is negotiable, what do you have budgeted towards the position?

I would tweak this a little bit. I think you should say a number that is about 10% higher than what you think the position is actually worth at market value. Look on glassdoor and do research about the field and position - determine what a fair salary would be given your experience, the market value of the position, and any objective data you can find that helps narrow down a specific number. Ask for 10% more than that number and if they try to negotiate you below that, explain your logic in getting to that number. Don't negotiate by simply asking for more, and likewise, don't allow them to negotiate by saying "well how about we offer you this much instead?". Negotiation should not be based on desires but rather should be a discussion of how much a fair value would be based on objective data. Stand your ground if they offer lower values and insist that they provide reasoning for that price, but don't be too cocky or assertive. Just be reasonable and tell them why you are worth what you think you are worth. If you are lucky, they'll just agree to your 10% higher price and won't even bother negotiating. If you are unlucky, don't be afraid to walk away.

If you have earnings history to back up your asking then go ahead but if not undercut the other applicants so you can prove your worth within the company then seek higher wage or jump ship to a competitor???

My most recent was me in a room with 3 other dudes. Luckily some softball questions though. I think it varies but usually atleast a couple people judging the shit out of you

For my first job I looked up the salary range and pitched them the number. They basically were like nah, here is what we pay to our entry level programmers (about 15k below what I asked). And I was like ok, sounds good, lol. Wasn't a bad job and they kept promoting me but the pay was too low so I jumped ship 3 years later

"I would like to earn the maximum salary you are authorized to offer."

I was interviewed by six people for an engineering internship once. Two process engineers, their manager, the site manager who happened to drop by, and 2 HR people. It was pretty excessive especially for a 3 month job for a college student.

Other times my experience has been 2 or 3 people. Usually the person who would be your supervisor, maybe 1-2 of your colleagues, and maybe an HR person. Also they don't make faces like that unless you're really fucking it up because they're not trying to intimidate you and if they thought you were an idiot then you wouldn't have made it past the phone screening.

I'm pretty sure you never be the first one to state a number. What I do is say something like "You know I haven't done too much research into what the exact compensation for this job would be, but I'm sure we could come up with a number thats fair for both sides" That way you don't set a ceiling to your compensation or risk taking yourself out of the running by choosing a number thats too high