When applying for a new position or starting the interview process, most experts would advise to not discuss salary until the hiring company brings up the issue.  Generally you will want to avoid quoting your salary requirements until you learn more about the company, the position,  the responsibilities, the growth opportunities, etc.  You don't want to leave money on the table by indicating a figure that is below what the company was prepared to offer and on the other hand, you may not want to overprice yourself for a lower paying position that is otherwise attractive to you.  In a typical negotiation scenario, you want the hiring company to give you their range first and the hiring company wants to get your salary requirements first.  Some say the first to blink (to name a figure) loses, but that doesn't  have to be the case.  You may have to  establish a salary range as a basis for understanding to keep the interview process moving forward, but don't try to negotiate until a firm offer is in hand.

So let’s say you get to the interview and the interviewer asks, "So what are your minimum salary requirements?", or "What will it take to get you to join us?"

A response might be, "Too be perfectly honest, I have not set any fixed, firm salary requirement.  I'm looking for the right job, a good challenging opportunity that fits my background and interests.  And while salary is important to me it is secondary to finding a good match for my skills and interests."

Or you might say something like, "I'm fairly open on salary and will consider competitive offers.  What is the range for this position?”

But the interviewer presses on and says, "Well you must have some idea, some number which you won’t go below."

And you reply, “No, as I said I am open and flexible on salary"

Does this scenario sound all too familiar?  The job market is flat.  You’ve applied to dozens of jobs online with no response.  You think you’re a perfect fit for each job you apply to.  You engage a Recruiter who gets you an interview.  The interview goes off ‘flawlessly’ in your opinion.  The feedback from the Recruiter was “they went with someone else who was a closer fit for the job.”

It happens ALL the time and has happened at least once, to everyone who has had the unfortunate experience of being in a job search.  Why does this happen?  What can you do about it?

Unfortunately, there is no magic solution to landing that job.  Hiring managers are HUMAN, they have good days and bad.  They use unknown criteria in selecting their next hire.  They play favorites.  They make decision based on who will make their jobs easier.  They sometimes don’t know what they are doing, and are in their roles because someone higher up from them is too lazy to make the hire themselves.   If these factors come in to play when interviewing – HOW can you increase the chances of landing that job?

There is hope, but you will need to do your homework and do some preparation before your interview.  Believe it or not, you can be a PERFECT fit for the job on paper and say 1 thing wrong in the interview and you can go from leading candidate to “thanks but we have someone who is a better fit” in just a few seconds.

Using a Recruiter will give you an advantage over someone who isn’t using one.  It’s our job to understand the requirements.  It’s our job to understand WHO the hiring manager is and how they hire.  We always get some cultural information about that manager and about their job and personality.  It’s our job to prepare you as best as possible for the position you’re interviewing for, because that’s how we make a living.  YOU are our product, and the hardest product to sell to a buyer/client, because we have to make sure both parties say yes before we get paid. 

jobs.aol.com/articles/2009/01/26/interviews-turn-your-weaknesses-into-strengths/