How to handle salary negotiations for a new job

I do not like job ads that insist on getting a salary request along with a resume, and I usually ignore them. I figure they're cheap.

In an interview with a potential employer, however, the subject of money will come up and the employee wannabe will feel at a disadvantage. Penelope Trunk, founder of Brazen Careerist, a professional social network for young people, offers advice on dealing with this situation. If you're asked how much money you want, don't answer, she says.

You have no idea how much this position is worth to the company. The person interviewing your knows the firm’s bottom line, so he or she they should tell you how much the position is worth to the business.  So you politely say that you’d like them to decide how much the position is worth to them and offer that wage.

The first person to give a number sets the benchmark. If you set it too low, you’ll never know. If you set it high, they’ll tell you. But you don’t want to risk going low.

Any interviewer who will not give you the first number is not being fair. They can give you a ballpark for how much the position pays. They have a budget. No position is approved without a ballpark budget. So get that number before you give a number. If the interviewer insists on you giving a number, ask yourself if you want to work for someone who wants an unfair advantage from the beginning.

She offers ten ways to say this here.