Money on a Monday: How to discuss salary in an interview

What do you do during a job interview when salary is discussed? Do you play it safe and ask for a low figure or do you take the confident approach and go high?

CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit spoke to Advaita Naidoo, MD Africa at Jack Hammer Global.

She said it's uncomfortable for a lot of people because you have to put a number on yourself and you almost have to value yourself to someone who has the power to say no. "Talking about money is still a taboo for a lot of companies and for a lot of individuals because we've been taught to think that it's unrefined to discuss.

"So, the first thing that we recommend for candidates to do is demystify it. Just take the pressure off the conversation. Know that you want to be paid for what you bring to the table. You want the opportunity to improve your life situation through wealth creation and there's absolutely no shame in that."

Naidoo said she does appreciate that it's easier said than done to actually have that conversation.

"You don't want to undersell yourself and have them look at you as if you don't know your worth. So, again prepare for it, be grounded when you go in. Be calm, don't act too humble because that's also not what you want."

Kiewit said there's currently a bill making its way through parliament called the 'Fair Play Bill' and it's calling for greater transparency when it comes to workplace salary.

He asked if a prospective candidate should ask what say the average salary for the position is.

"Companies shouldn't be afraid of that but I think what the problem is, is that average salaries often don't play out well in South African organisations. You can move from one financial services company to another but those two aren't commensurate in size. So you could be moving from something on a really good wicket and think you're moving to a similar role somewhere else. (But) they perform differently, they have different benchmarks."

She said this is why this can be one input to be considered but not the only one.

"What about companies pushing you to reveal your current salary and payslip," Kiewit asked. This new bill seeks to undo this.

Naidoo said there is nothing wrong with it but transparency should work in both ways. So if the company is asking for your payslip, you should be able to ask what the budget is for the position.

She says people should prepare for the interview by doing three things: