What are your salary requirements?

During a job interview, the "money question" is probably the most awkward one to answer. It hits right to the heart of the matter. Let’s face it, if you are advancing your career, you logically would like to increase your income in the process. The difficulty is clear, you don’t want to undersell your value, but neither do you want to price yourself out of the running by asking for more than the company will pay.

This is where working with a recruiter can really pay off.  In most cases you will already be aware of what the company pays for the position. In fact, this question may not even come up in the interview if you’ve been sent by a reputable recruiting firm.

First, it’s always good to be prepared. Have that information (base/bonus/stock options) at hand. You may need it when filling out an application before the interview. Sometimes the interviewer has the application at the time of the interview anyway.

If the questions does come up in the first interview, do what you can to avoid talking numbers if possible. You can attempt to avoid getting into specifics by letting the interviewer know that you are considering the opportunity first and the compensation second.