Re: Salary - It's Easy
It is not a lie when to tack on qualifiers that indicate a range. You can
debate the RANGE of that grayness, but that is not a lie.
Technically, that may not be a lie, it falls into the same general category of actions. Both a lie and heavy qualifications are designed to mislead. You may choose to lie or mislead, but don't mislead yourself about what you're doing.
The respondant's attitude is typical HR muscle. "YOU WILL MAKE NOTHING
MORE THAN WHAT YOU USED TO MAKE!!!" How on earth would any of us ever move
up and make good salaries if we did not try to up-sell ourselves?
Well, without lying or causing any ill-will by refusing to mention past salaries, I prefer to say, "Well, for a job with these duties and responsibilities, I want $XX.xx." I don't mention the industry standard (although you can bet I research it), or past salaries,which aren't an interviewer's business. I just state my starting point for negotiations, then make clear that I'll listen to counter-offers.
This response has the virtue of keeping things simple, and of letting me haggle undistracted by the hassle of trying to remember the lie that I told.
Its a dog-eat-cow world, you need to compete. There are no rules, there
are layers of grayness. Either you manipulate those layers to work in your
favor, or you become a victim of that, perpetually at the mercy of others.
The trouble is, the playing field isn't level. Interviewers have the power of judgement over you. They may very well resent you if they catch you lying. The fact that they might do the same doesn't mean much. What matters is that lying may lose you the job.
There is NOTHING unethical about trying to make more money. That is human
nature. To deny that may make your sensitivity group respect you, but it
won't make your credit card bills go away.
Actually, my sensitivity group was intimidated by me, and made me go away :-).
I simply have a quirk that I would rather be right than rich. That's why I won't ever be a CEO. However, with a little ingenuity, I can keep my ethics and a generous share of filthy lucre.
Playing a game with a handicap always makes the game more interesting, anyway.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com
"The heart ain't nothing but a fibrous lump
And I just wanna hear it pump."
- The Mollys, "Say Nothing"
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