Sainath's Advice on Sunday, July 01, 2012 :
Hi,
If indeed you have strong skills in the areas you have mentioned then my advice to you is that you should be very confident. It's like this, irrespective of what designation you hold in your present organization, if you are able to showcase what responsibilities you have been handling in your current job properly, the potential employer will definitely understand your worth. This is easier said than done - and you may need to practise beforehand what you will saying at the interview and how you will say it. This is critical - as 1st impression is usually the last impression.
Secondly, think about what role you were playing irrespective of whatever designation you had. Your overall body language should convey your calibre to the interview panel, not in a deliberate manner but as a natural result of strong posture and belief in yourself. This can only happen if indeed you have fulfilled strong responsibilities.
Regarding salary negotiation, ideally you should delay the discussion till the initial rounds are over and things are heading to a close. Depending upon how the interview went and employer's impressions about you, the salary discussion can begin. Also, you should ask potential employer to come up with a good offer if you are unsure about it. The reason why I say this is most of us are guilty of underselling ourselves. And then we take up the job and experience daily frustration. The point to correct your salary as per market standards is when you are joining a new firm. This is the best point - once you have joined any organization other factors like policies, etc take over and your negotiating power goes down.
Regards,
Sainath Sherigar,