Salary Interview Questions & Answers

Question 1

Why do you want to work for us?

Answer 1

Based on my research, this company meets my goals of being strategic, customer-centric, and respectful of employees.

Question 2

What do you find most attractive about the position we are discussing?

Answer 2

I see opportunities to grow in my career, learn new technologies, and the ability to have a positive impact.

Question 3

What are your strengths?

Answer 3

I continuously look for opportunities to improve and automate processes. Fo example, when we had issues with testers not showing proper evidence I did two things. First I developed a test reporting template. Second I developed a test tool in which developers tested by writing configurations and test scripts, executing the scripts, and then saving the results in a test library. The results which is an HTML file for easy viewing, would contain the script so you know exactly how test was performed, input and output files used by program being tested, and both before and after snapshots of the data. The result was higher quality testing and consistency in test results.

Question 4

Tell me about a time when you achieved your greatest accomplishment.

Answer 4

My last project of 13 years is where I had the most impact, leaving behind a legacy for which I am greatly known among my team. - Procedures and other valuable documents now exist. - Wrote many automated tools to simplify procedures (the CAT, Pautotest, Validation tools, etc.)

Question 5

What are you looking for in salary? What was your last salary?

Answer 5

Mid 80s

Question 6

What are your career goals? Where do you want to be in 5 years?

Answer 6

I am interested in making a longtime commitment for my next position as I have done in the past working for IBM. I am confident I will have similar opportunities here.

Question 7

Why should we hire you? What contributions can you make?

Answer 7

[Requires good understanding of job requirements to answer this.] I have earned a reputation as a developer that gets the job done. For example, when there is a very tight schedule I have found ways to divide the work up, having developers help each other. I would have an under assigned developer help with the planning and implementation of unit test cases. I have a passion for improving and automating processes.

Question 8

What are your weaknesses?

Answer 8

I sometimes have a problem staying engaged, performing tedious manual work. So I like to automate processes whenever I can. As an example, I was helping to capture some information for an audit which required adding data from various reports to an Excel spreadsheet. So I automated the process which could be reused in future audits and reduced the risk of manual human errors.

Question 9

Tell me about a conflict with a boss or co-worker.

How was it resolved?

Answer 9

One of my colleague’s wasn’t excited about using the new test tool I had written. He likes to test the way he is accustomed to testing. So some changes to the test tool were implemented as a compromise.

Question 10

Why did you leave your last position?

Answer 10

Every year XXX moves jobs offshore to increase profits.

My position was one of many that was moved this year. I am looking forward to new opportunities where I can contribute to a long term position.

Question 11

What do you know about our organization?

Answer 11

[Research web site, talk to employees]

Mission: Services:

Products:

Markets:

Size:

Scope:

CEO:

Question 12

Tell me about yourself

Answer 12

• I am a software developer with 17+ years of experience translating business requirements into well engineered, tested, and deployed applications.
• Improving processes to increase productivity and aid in cross-training is what I am well known for amongst my peers. I do this by automating and documenting procedures.
• I am looking for a software development or test position where I can collaborate with others to provide an application with a great user experience.

Question 13

Why Employers Ask About Your Salary Expectations?

Answer 13

• Budget reasons
• Assess how well you know your market value
• Determine if you’re at the right professional level

Question 14

Budget reasons

Answer 14

Before starting the hiring process, employers calculate a salary amount for a job opening. For them, it’s important to get an understanding of what your compensation expectations are and how this aligns with their budget.

Employers take into account if they need to fill more or even similar positions.

Another factor is how bad they need to fill them and how the company, in general, is doing in terms of revenue, profit, and overall growth.

Question 15

Assess how well you know your market value

Answer 15

Strong candidates have an idea of their value in the job market; they understand their worth. They can explain their salary expectations because they know what their skill set is worth. Interviewers want to assess whether or not you know your market value. In general, your market value is based on your job-level, years of professional experience, and career achievements.

Question 16

Determine if you’re at the right professional level

Answer 16

Another reason for employers to ask about your salary expectations is to determine whether or not you’re at the right professional level. For example, if you ask a significantly lower salary amount that other applicants, this could indicate that you’re of a too junior level or do not yet possess the right amount of work experience. If you ask a significantly higher amount, this could indicate that you’re too senior for the role. Based on your answer, the interviewers try to gauge if you’re at an appropriate professional level to be suitable for the position you’re interviewing for.

Question 17

What to consider

Answer 17

• Job title
• Career industry
• Location
• Education
• Work experience
• Skills

Question 18

Play it coy and deflect the question

Answer 18

‘For me, the most important factor is finding a job that’s a good fit for my skills and experience, and where I can really add value. Furthermore, I’m confident that you will offer a salary for this position that is competitive in the current job market.’

Question 19

Ask the interviewer questions

Answer 19

What’s the salary range determined by the company for this position?

or

What is the established salary range for someone in a similar position with my background?

Question 20

Can you tell me about your salary levels in your previous positions?

Answer 20

When I started at company ABC as an online marketer, my salary was $X. After two years, this was increased to $X. This was in large part because of my successful track record of bringing in new clients. When I got promoted to a senior marketer position, my salary became $X, which excluded performance bonuses and other benefits.’

Question 21

What are your salary expectations for this position?

Answer 21

‘My requirements regarding salary are flexible. I do have significant experience in the market, and I truly believe that this adds value to my candidacy. I would like to get to know more about the specific responsibilities within this position and company. From there, we can determine a fair salary.’

Question 22

What are your salary expectations for this position? (2)

Answer 22

‘I’m looking forward to getting to know more about the specific tasks and responsibilities of this position in this interview. However, I know that similar positions in the current market pay in the range of $X to $X in our region. With my skills, abilities, and experience, I would expect to receive a salary somewhere around $X.’

Question 23

Would you accept a position for less pay?

Answer 23

‘This position is different from my current position. Even though I have significant experience that will help me succeed in this position, I understand that it’s a different market in a different area. The reason why I applied for this position is that I have used your software myself for many years, and I’m impressed with the developments and innovation in your products.

Furthermore, I believe that the training and development opportunities are unique in the market and will help me grow as a professional. Therefore, for me, taking a pay cut is no issue to take on a new challenge in a position in which I can help to make a difference and work on groundbreaking products.’