<p>Hi, I have a interview scheduled next month to work as an intern for a local ISP (Internet Service Provider) company. so its a lot of computer networking, which is what my AS degree is in. im still going to be taking classes at a university. on the advertisement for it, it said there would be flexible schedules because its meant for students whose still in school. </p>
<p>any good tips? this isnt my first job interview, ive done one for a clerical office job and working at the community college computer lab, but this is the first one, "in the field". also the ad doesnt list the pay rate, how would i go about soliciting this information, if it doesnt come up in the interview?without sounding like im just in it for the money, cause im in it to learn as well.</p>
<p>Make sure that you have answers for the common interview questions, do a mock interview, read up on their company - if it’s a public company, then there should be a lot of information available on the web. Know the history, relative amount of business that they do, where their major markets are, etc.</p>
<p>On money - if they are interested, they will make you an offer and you can either accept it or turn it down. They may ask you what you are looking for during the interview so it helps to have a figure in mind. Ideally you could find past interns or current employees that can give you an idea as to what they pay. There are websites where employees report what they make and you might find something for the company that you are interested in.</p>
<p>Also, don’t negotiate salary, if it ever comes down to it. You have no experience and this is your first legit internship/job. Just take what they give you, tell them you think it’s competitive (even if it’s not, just lie), and be happy with it. You are in no position to bargain.</p>
<p>Also, I recommend you think of 5 stories that you can rephrase to answer behavioral type questions accordingly, i.e. “Tell me about a time you handled a situation where…”</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with trying to negotiate your salary.</p>
<p>As long as you do not make wildly unreasonable demands (i.e. demanding a 30-100% increase in salary), the WORST outcome that can happen is they refuse to budge and you end up accepting their initial offer anyways.</p>
<p>If you give them a number that is higher than their number, then they won’t make an offer. The rationale is that you would be unhappy there with their lower rate of pay and would be looking for another job elsewhere while you were working for them.</p>
<p>Firstly, in most cases, they’re making an offer first. Then you try to see if they would go higher. If they refuse, then you can accept that offer (or decline).</p>
<p>If it is your first real job/internship, what bargaining power do you have to even negotiate salary? Like, really. You have no standing or prior experience to back it up. If it’s your first paid job/internship, you always suck it up. Just be thankful you have one. Then, on your next job, you have some bargaining power. You can say, “Look, I was paid at least $30k on my last job. I have more experience now, so I expect no less than 30k at the very least.”</p>
<p>Do you know how silly it is for a 18-19 year old kid negotiating a salary? lol</p>
<p>Also, when they ask your for salary expectations, I would do my best to leave it as ambiguous as possible. Like the user above said, do some research and to get an idea of how much the position pays, then throw a ball park range. If the pay is 45k, then you say “Oh, I’m looking for something between high 30s and high 40s.”</p>
<p>If you get offered the position, then they’ll let you know the salary. Don’t EVER ask “How much does this position pay?” in the interview.</p>
<p>In any medium-sized company with an HR department, it takes a moderate amount of effort to make an offer and HR departments and hiring managers don’t like to waste the effort to make a formal offer if it doesn’t have a near 100% chance of being successful.</p>
<p>Look, even if your bargaining power is low, it is not <em>nonexistent</em>. If you got an offer, it is because they think you are the best person for the position. Yes, there are people willing to replace you, obviously, which is why you have <em>highly limited</em> bargaining power.</p>
<p>As long as you speak/write with a calm, reasonable, and respectful tone, there is absolutely no downside in trying to negotiate a reasonably higher salary if you feel it is too low, even for an entry level position. If anything, it is a good skill to practice.</p>
<p>Again, as long as you are respectful, don’t demand too much, and provide some reasons as to why you need or deserve the extra salary, the worst that happens is they refuse to increase your salary and you accept the old offer.</p>
<p>I’m with terenc on this one. Salary negotiations are always awkward, and it’s unlikely that you would get a better starting salary if you have no current job or competing offer, but it’s always possible. If you are given an offer, that means the company WANTS you, and asking for more money won’t make you sound ungrateful or unduly greedy; if anything, it will show that you have ambition. It’s highly, highly unlikely that an HR manager would revoke an offer simply because you asked for a better salary (it’s also in his best interests not to do so, since word spreads, and it would be tougher to get good people if their applicants felt they were all getting lowball offers).</p>
<p>BUT I don’t really think this is what the OP was talking about. This is an entry-level job that probably has a set pay grade for new hires. Not advertising the rate is not a surprise. If you are a serious candidate, either they will tell you the starting rate or ask you for an expected salary. For your part, try to get them to tell you what the pay range is before you give any specific numbers.</p>