What Are Your Salary Expectations? . . . Eek! Gasp! Yikes!

What do you say? And most importantly, how do ask for what you think you deserve?

Newcomers, you are not alone if this question makes you nervous or unsure of how to answer it. Most English speaking Canadians worry about it too. Part of it’s related to Canadian culture as we don’t often discuss our incomes even with our closest friends. In addition, if your expectation is too low, a company may pay you peanuts and if too high, they may not want you and think you’re greedy.

You heard of a great job and thought you would apply. Guess what? They now want to interview you next week. Congratulations! This is exciting and a big deal.  Feeling nervous about interviewing for your first major job in Canada?  Try to relax, take a deep breath, you are not alone and that is completely normal. Still nervous, right? 

Here comes the hard part, most Canadian workplaces do not tell you what the questions will be ahead of time. How do you prepare? 

For newcomers to Canada the first few days often go by with a flurry of emotions; confusion, excitement, fear, relief, worry, happiness, sadness. Jet lag wears off in a day or so, and before you know it you might be ready to start exploring your options, learning about your new environment and figuring out what are the next steps you should be taking to start building your new life in Canada. Settling in and beginning a new life in a new country is never an easy task, but having a plan or a to do list is always helpful to achieving your goals and this is no different.