As stated very concisely by my colleague, Carey Bertolet, in Part I of this series, when we meet lawyers who have risen through the ranks to Partner, General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, or other C-Suite roles, we always try to understand what strategies they've employed throughout the course of their careers to get them to that pinnacle of success.  Last week we profiled one of the most common threads, namely "flexibility on relocation."  (See Part I of this blog dated January 25, 2012).  Today, we profile a second thread -- flexibility on compensation.  Some of the most successful candidates today handle the topic of compensation with careful aplomb, and that has made all the difference to their future success.

Let's begin with the basics.  What did compensation discussions represent yesterday?  How does that differ from today?  Two or three years ago, compensation was a topic which came up at the end of the interview process.  It was the last hurdle to cross before the drafting of the offer letter.  However, anybody who still believes that compensation should be addressed at the end of the job hunt is fooling themselves-- and just made a very costly mistake.  Today, compensation is one of the first topics addressed.  If it is not addressed by your recruiter, it will be addressed by the corporation with whom you are interviewing before you even walk in the door.  In fact, they will ask you this question the second you submit your resume. 

Most applicants become unnerved by this employer action considering it either "untimely" or "inappropriate."  In the past, that might have been the case.  Because we are now in an ever-uncertain economy, however, compensation discussions are addressed at the get go.  In fact, they are often used as a vetting tool.  If you name a dollar figure that is too high, they likely won't call you in for the interview.  Is this a bad thing?  No.  It's reality.  Corporations, just like law firms, have a budget.  Right now, those budgets are tight, and employers want to hire talent -- but only talent that they can afford and talent for whom they have adequately budgeted.  The most successful candidates know this, and they come prepared to answer that question.  The most inappropriate answer is to give a point blank number with no flexibility.  The second most inappropriate answer is to say:  "We can talk about that later when it's more appropriate."  Both responses will score you zero points, and the latter statement may actually come across as condescending to some employers.  Successful candidates know this fact.  So, what do they do?  They come prepared with a response, but first they undertake some personal diligence.