Career influencer reveals what job seekers should ask in interviews to get more money

No matter how much we practice for a job interview, we always feel that some of our responses could've been better. So, career experts offer us some key points to keep in mind before facing an interview or even a job offer. Career influencer and author of "Interviewology," Anna Papalia often shares on TikTok some simple yet efficacious tips on acing interviews while also gaining some benefits that we would've never thought of. Recently, she posted a video about the one fail-proof question that job seekers should ask in an interview or a discussion about a job offer which would help them gain a better salary package.

Being the CEO of an insightful career guidance platform, Interviewology, Papalia is known for her extensive research and establishment of "the four interview styles." As a former Director of Talent Acquisition, she understands the nuances of interview from the perspective of both the interviewer and the job seeker. So, based on these experiences, Papalia revealed that when a person receives a job offer, he/she must not accept it on the spot. "I never made my best offer. No one really does," she pointed out. It meant that people don't always realize that recruiters, "always leave room for them to negotiate," and the career coach said, "So, therefore, you should." 

Papalia revealed the easiest way to start the negotiation, particularly for those who feel anxious about haggling over the offered package. "The best thing for you to say when you receive a job offer is, 'Thank you so much. Is this negotiable?'" said the career coach. She mentioned that the recruiters would either say "Yes" or "No" and it was always better to take the chance of seeing if there would be room for negotiation. To those who were concerned that the company would lie about the negotiation, Papalia reassured them that after screening several candidates the recruiters have no necessity to lie about wanting to negotiate. "They're going to do anything in their power to hire you and if that means paying you another five grand or giving you 10 more days of PTO, they'll do it if they can," she said.

For people who asked, "What if they say it’s not negotiable?" the career coach explained in the captions that it means that they got the company's best offer. After that, it's all about the candidate's decision to accept the offer or not. Also, she emphasized that recruiters will not take a candidate's offer away if they ask for more money while negotiating. "They will only take the offer away if you lie, misrepresent yourself or negotiate unprofessionally," she mentioned.

With over 682K views, Papalia's guidance garnered huge attention and sparked off a debate in the comments. "I am a headhunter and negotiate offers for a living. For 17 years! Do accept it! They might not counter! See it happen all the time," commented @soffbrumm. "I negotiated today in my interview and I got the pay I asked for to start at my new job," wrote @damien2124. 

Many argued that in this current job market, Papalia's advice may not work. Some even lost the offer because of negotiating. "I am a recruiter and we don't always leave room to negotiate. Often we are giving you our best offer from the start. You can ask to negotiate, but the answer may be no," commented @kaymie406. "Literally every single offer I have ever received has been non-negotiable. Even employers that are really impressed with me have told me to take it or leave it. Offer negotiating seems like a myth," wrote @disembodiedtoast.

You can follow Anna Papalia (@anna..papalia) on TikTok for more interview tips.