Comments on: Top 10 Questions To Ask During an Interview http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/01/top-10-questions-to-ask-when-taking-an-it-job/ Your technology pain-relief experts. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:37:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Daniel Blanchard http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/01/top-10-questions-to-ask-when-taking-an-it-job/comment-page-1/#comment-27791 Daniel Blanchard Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:21:51 +0000 http://www.brentozar.com/?p=2195#comment-27791 Kim, salary negotiations start before they ever call you in, because they already know what the cap on the position is...and while there are many ways to get what you deserve, always remember this: "You are not paid what you are worth, you are paid what you negotiate." Be prepared to turn down an opportunity if the range they state isn't to your liking, even before you interview. So, when they ask, "What are you making in your current position?" try to compare and contrast the two positions and convince them that they are comparing apples to oranges. What you are currently making is irrelevant to your consideration of this position. Then try and get as much as you can. When moving from a SS DB admin to an Oracle DB architect position, they wanted to know why I commanded so much more than what they were able to find through tax records, etc. I simply told them that they wanted someone with experience in modeling, development, and administration, whereas my former position only needed the administration aspect. With more responsibility, comes more compensation. And don't let them give you a title in lieu of salary. Same goes for stock options...take stock grants, leave the options at the door, you may never benefit from them. Kim, salary negotiations start before they ever call you in, because they already know what the cap on the position is…and while there are many ways to get what you deserve, always remember this: “You are not paid what you are worth, you are paid what you negotiate.” Be prepared to turn down an opportunity if the range they state isn’t to your liking, even before you interview.

So, when they ask, “What are you making in your current position?” try to compare and contrast the two positions and convince them that they are comparing apples to oranges. What you are currently making is irrelevant to your consideration of this position. Then try and get as much as you can.

When moving from a SS DB admin to an Oracle DB architect position, they wanted to know why I commanded so much more than what they were able to find through tax records, etc. I simply told them that they wanted someone with experience in modeling, development, and administration, whereas my former position only needed the administration aspect. With more responsibility, comes more compensation.

And don’t let them give you a title in lieu of salary. Same goes for stock options…take stock grants, leave the options at the door, you may never benefit from them.

]]> By: Brent Ozar http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/01/top-10-questions-to-ask-when-taking-an-it-job/comment-page-1/#comment-23388 Brent Ozar Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:08:31 +0000 http://www.brentozar.com/?p=2195#comment-23388 Kim - head to your local bookstore or library and you'll find a lot of books about salary negotiation. I wish I had a single killer tip that I could cram into a blog comment here, but this is a pretty big topic that deserves the kind of attention a book can provide. Hope that helps! Kim – head to your local bookstore or library and you’ll find a lot of books about salary negotiation. I wish I had a single killer tip that I could cram into a blog comment here, but this is a pretty big topic that deserves the kind of attention a book can provide. Hope that helps!

]]> By: Kim McDowell http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/01/top-10-questions-to-ask-when-taking-an-it-job/comment-page-1/#comment-23385 Kim McDowell Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:03:08 +0000 http://www.brentozar.com/?p=2195#comment-23385 Excellent article. Could you please advice the best way to approach salary negotiations in an interview? Many job postings request salary recommendations and I do not know what is appropriate to respond. I do not want to under sell myself but I don't want to lose the opportunity to get to the interview by requesting a salary that is too high. I was going to base it on my previous salary, but I am not sure what to do. Can you please advise. Thank you. Kim Excellent article. Could you please advice the best way to approach salary negotiations in an interview? Many job postings request salary recommendations and I do not know what is appropriate to respond. I do not want to under sell myself but I don’t want to lose the opportunity to get to the interview by requesting a salary that is too high. I was going to base it on my previous salary, but I am not sure what to do. Can you please advise. Thank you. Kim

]]> By: Mairhtin O'Feannag http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/01/top-10-questions-to-ask-when-taking-an-it-job/comment-page-1/#comment-16480 Mairhtin O'Feannag Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:20:34 +0000 http://www.brentozar.com/?p=2195#comment-16480 If you are in a support position, ask about the ticketing system and how flexible it is. Can you search by MEANINGFUL arguments, like domain name, IP, error code,past tickets, etc. . Some companies have a "just fix it and move on" attitude, which means you'll be fixing the same problem ad infinitum. Institutional memory is REQUIRED of a good environment. If you are in a support position, ask about the ticketing system and how flexible it is. Can you search by MEANINGFUL arguments, like domain name, IP, error code,past tickets, etc. . Some companies have a “just fix it and move on” attitude, which means you’ll be fixing the same problem ad infinitum. Institutional memory is REQUIRED of a good environment.

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