“What concerns or fears might you have when it comes to negotiating a job offer?”?

Question

This is a question asked by one of my instructors...I need a good answer ;0)

Answer 1

I hope your instructor already has a standard answer for this, because it qualifies as a vague yet stupid question.

The only real concern or fears you should have are: Did I undersell/oversell myself? Did I ask for too much/too little (money, benefits, time-off) considering my education experience?

Prior to the initial interview you should have an idea of what kind of job you are interviewing for, compensation rates and packages for that job in that industry, what you can accept and what you can't. If you can't meet your minimums that might not be the employer for you, you want to look for employment you can live with for 2 - 5 years minimum because job-hopping never looks good on a resume. Also, consider: Am I making a career or is this just a job?

As an employer, my concerns are the contents of the resume, criminal/civil/credit background check, employment history and whether the individual will work well in our corporate culture.

Answer 2

It usually doesn't matter about pay negotiation. All I have ever heard is, "this is our starting figure for the job and this is what we start everyone else at.". Believe me, most times that's a lie, especially if a male comes in for an interview.