A key concept to learn is this: Whoever mentions money first loses.  That means if the employer asks you to mail in a salary history (one quarter of employers do) just ignore this request.  But if the ad insists, stating, "We won´t consider anyone who doesn´t send a salary history." you can comply in a clever way that preserves your negotiating power. Instead of revealing your old salary, offer a statement of fact, citing a salary survey source (available from professional associations, in magazines and at www.salary.com).  Quote them a salary range, commenting that you are looking within that range.  Employers report that they use the salary question as a device to screen out applicants. While you worry the employer won´t pay high enough, in reality often times employers eliminate you because your salary was too low, thus automatically downgrading your skills. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than what happened to Kathy, one of my clients.

Kathy spent several years at a large, prominent company, taking on new managerial duties as her job expanded.  She excelled, but her requests to upgrade her salary seemed to get lost behind other items her boss found more important.  Although she performed a management job, her salary remained stuck at $33,000.  After months of promised raises and title changes, her promotion had not been made official.  So she began to job hunt.  In an early interview she told the hiring manager her true salary.  The HR recruiter later told her that once the hiring manager heard the low figure her current employer paid her, he devalued her skills as "low level."  Too late, Kathy learned the correct salary negotiation technique is to never reveal a previous salary.  She never made that mistake again. A few weeks later, she masterfully dodged the salary questions when interviewing with an impressive high tech company.  Coupled with good answers and solid work examples, Kathy landed the job at $68,000 - DOUBLE the pay of the job she left.

Before you negotiate salary remember these tips:

• Whoever mentions money first loses.
• If asked in an interview "What salary do you currently make?" simply volley their question back with one of your own.  Reply with "What is the range that this job pays?"
• Leave the salary boxes blank on job applications. This is a legal document and can result in your being fired if you "fudge" on the true number. 
• Get the job offer on the table before you discuss money and benefits.  It´s after the employer has screened candidates and decided you´re the one for the job, that you have the most power to suggest they offer more - money, vacation, perks - and get it!
• Try to negotiate. Many applicants simply accept the offer as given.  Too bad - because in the last 18 months I´ve seen employers offer higher salaries and more lucrative benefits packages, simply because the prospective employee asked for them.

SOURCE: Book, "60 Seconds and You´re Hired!" by Robin Ryan.

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 Copyright 2005 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.

Robin Ryan is considered America´s most popular career coach with over 1000 TV & radio appearances including Dr. Phil Show, Oprah, Fox News, CNN.  She is the best-selling author of: What to Do with the Rest of Your Life; 60 Seconds & You're Hired!; Winning Resumés; and Winning Cover Letters; and also the DreamMaker & Interview Advantage Audio Programs.. Robin has a busy career counseling practice providing individual career coaching, resumé writing services and interview preparation to clients nationwide.  A dynamic national speaker, Robin frequently teaches audiences how to improve their lives and obtain greater success. To purchase her books and audio training programs click here: http://www.robinryan.com

To contact Robin email: RobinRyan@aol.com; or phone her at 425.226.0414.