Ask HN: How to present compensation as priority in interviews? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How to present compensation as priority in interviews?

9 pointssandhundred5 comments

I would like to avoid discussion of passions and motivations. I am seeking top of market compensation for top of market engineering talent, but don't want to be overly blunt in presenting this. I do want to filter out interviewers who are looking to use desirability of position as leverage for lower compensation. My ideal position is a company that is having trouble finding talent for clear business needs and will pay accordingly, but I'm unsure of how to word this on initial phone screens.

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One thing I look for is how long the position has been open. My gut tells me if the position has been open for many months that means that they aren't willing to pay market.

As Joel Spolsky said: "Now, let’s review some microeconomics. In a free market, it is almost axiomatic that the market always clears. That’s a technical term that means that when somebody tries to sell something, if they are willing to accept the market price, they will be able to sell it, and when somebody wants to buy something, if they are willing to pay the market price, they will be able to buy it. It’s just a matter of both sides accepting the market price."

https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/06/15/whaddaya-mean-you-...

Χαίρετε! Try this word-track...

'Thrilled we could make this call happen. I've read the position summary, did some research on your company. I'm very interested. However, I want to respect your time. Before we dive too deep, would you be able to share the compensation band for this role?'

A seasoned interviewer isn't solely looking for low-priced candidates. Several criteria go into determining a good match...(skills, experience, & cultural fit). High price point candidates often win by demonstrating value-- essentially, CAN YOU do the job? WILL you do the job? and Can they LIVE with you?

There's a great podcast episode about salary negotiation for engineers from HN's own. Basically tie your value to the value of the business problems you solve.

http://www.kalzumeus.com/2016/06/03/kalzumeus-podcast-episod...

You might want to aim at industries that are seen as less desirable or trendy but have real technical problems that you'd be good at solving. It's even better if you are directly tied to a revenue generation process. Hedge funds come immediately to mind.

It's called contracting.

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