How do you make an HR interview molded for your terms for the salary?

We are interviewing a lot of people these days and here are the tricks and techniques used by candidates to have their wa

  1. Not shying away from quoting a very high number for expected salary. The hike percent does not matter. Gone are the days when candidates used to feel ‘How can I ask for 60% hike, it sounds too unrealistic’.
  2. Quoting a high number works only when you know that you are “the one” which they are looking for, if you are one of the many candidates available then you cannot have it your way.
  3. Have a clear mind about how much you want to take home. Be savvy with the calculations of fixed component, variable component and taxes etc.
  4. HR/ Recruiters are generally not the decision makers. The hiring manager is someone else who is behind the scene. Getting access to the hiring manager may work wonders to get exceptional approvals(see point 2 above).
  5. Knowing your own worth - By interviewing every 9 months and keeping a tab on the industry salary trends. Do not go by the advice of your ex-colleague or cousin or room mate. What works for them may not work for you. Go to the market every 9 months and find your own worth.
  6. Research on Payscale, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Ambitionbox - find what different companies are paying for different roles/ experience/ skills at specific locations - This will give you a fair idea of what is happening in the market.
  7. Before you appear for the interview - Go to the company website and download their annual report. This is one document has all the history and geography of the company. Share value, revenue, profit margins, customers, vision, business units, corporate policy etc - You name it and you will find everything you need about the company in one single document. Read it thoroughly, it will help you have a very sound conversation with the recruiter/ manager.
  8. How you mold them depends on how you articulate your thoughts and asks. Being street-smart is the key. This requires practice. HR/ Recruiter do it on a daily basis - they talk to hundreds of candidates and they know how to deal with candidates. But how often do you talk to HR and negotiate for a better salary - may be once or twice or thrice in few years! That is why point#5 above is so important.