If I Were To Give You This Salary You Requested But Let You Write Your Job Description, What Would It Say?

This one is simple: What do you really think your requested salary is worth Or, if you prefer, you can think of this question as being about what you expect to actually be doing in the position, based on your own skill set and not necessarily the minimum job description in the advertisement. This is a chance for you to show your skill set with a concrete plan that highlights your long-term ambitions.

Points to Emphasize

Here are a few things to talk about while you explain your ideas.

• Key innovations to existing practices, particularly if they adapt general practices in your field to the specific needs of an employer.
• Any services or tasks that you anticipate as being corollary to your new position, but that are not described in the job listing.
• This is also your chance to discuss what you would do to bring different teams together on projects, so discuss how your vision fits into existing programs and ideas.
• Show you are looking to invest in the company with your labor, and that you want to make the workplace better in some measurable way. Then make that measurable way a reflection on your professional process.

Mistakes You Should Avoid

Be careful about the following issues as you navigate the interview question, because there are a lot of opportunities here, but you don’t want to go too far.

• Don’t criticize the way things are done. Focus on making your innovations additive instead.
• Avoid promoting yourself above the job you’re interviewing for.
• Beware of anything that puts down other employees for any reason, including examples of behavior or habits that are specific to an individual.
• Never use this as an opportunity to hype yourself. They want specific strategies and contributions you will bring, and if those are absent, they will notice.

Sample Answer

Try to bring together something that shows your determination to be a team player and your determination to leave things better than you found them.

For me, this job is about putting people together to get problems solved. I would make sure that students are at the center of what I do, and I’d take it on myself to make sure that they find it easy to navigate the various departments that service those aspects of their campus life so that they have a seamless educational experience, because I believe that student affairs and academics should work together.

Basically, you just want to give them a little more than they thought they were asking for.

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