Consider . . .

You are five minutes into a phone conversation with a potential employer who suddenly probes with the question, "Exactly what kind of dollars are we talking about?"

A search consultant dangles an interesting job before you in conversation but demands details of your current compensation, asking for base salary, bonuses, benefits, equity and other aspects of your package.

You are on your third interview, speaking with the chairman of a $200+ million company. An hour-long discussion is drawing to a close when the chairman inquires about compensation.

Reflect . . .

If you are conducting a job search, you'd best be prepared to deal with questions concerning compensation. Often a question regarding compensation will be posed early in a conversation. It's a way for the search consultant, the human resources person or the company executive to qualify you or, in some cases, to strike you from the list of candidates, if it's perceived that you are too expensive.

You, being sensitive to this reality, need to be prepared to entertain such questions with confidence yet not so boldly that you might derail the conversation.

In preparing for such an event first consider the various ways in which the question of compensation may be introduced into the conversation:

"How much are you looking to make?"
"What would it cost to bring you aboard?"
"What would be the minimum salary you would consider?"
"What was your W-2 last year?"

In responding to such questions indicate that you are looking for a compensation that is fair and competitive. Whatever the salary, you do not perceive it as a cost or expense, nor are you looking just to earn the minimum any more than the potential employer is