Is it true that salary/pay should never be discussed during a job interview?

Question

If it is true when is the proper time to ask about it...?

Answer 1

In general, in the U.S., it is wrong to discuss the issue during the interview--most managers will feel this makes you look bad. You should save it either for a second interview (if the company does one), or when they call you to offer you the job. You can't make any decisions until they do anyway, and just because they do offer you a job doesn't mean you have to take it. Plus, from a purely selfish point of view, you will have more leverage at that point anyway--the company has already decided to hire you, so that may allow you to negotiate higher if they don't want to go through the effort of more interviews.

It is possible that for some kinds of jobs, discussion of pay may be relevant--I can imagine people who do high end sales discussing the basics of a comission system during the interview, simply because sales managers ARE sometimes looking for someone who is aggressively pursuing commissions. But I'm not sure, as I haven't interviewed for that type of position.

Answer 2

No it is not true. You don't want to necessarily say you require x amount, but you should discuss if the range you have in mind fits with their range. Try to go about it in a tactful manner without sounding demanding, you may also want to bring up benefits and what the company offers for those as well. If they don't want to tell you, they simply won't give you a set number and don't push the issue. If you are working through a recruiter, it may be easier and you can just ask the recruiter what the range is going to be. Most people are going to work because they want money, the future employer should realize you aren't just going to show up for fun. If you know you need x amount a year to live, you will be wasting everyone time being polite and going through the interview process to only find out at the end they want to pay you 20% less a year than you currently make.

Answer 3

Well, you should always be ready to discuss it. At some point in the interview process, they have decided to hire you. It's time for the negotiation phase.

I had a interview, 30 minutes in, and the interviewer just said: "How much money do you want to make." I didn't quite do as well as I could have, but I did all right.

I'd wait until the company/organization brought it up first. It's a sign that they are very interested in you. Go to www.salary.com or www.payscale.com (I'm unaffiliated with either site) and figure out what a fair wage is for you.