I guess the interview must have gone well after all. I got an offer, and I accepted. Yes, I am no longer unemployed.

The position is a good transition for me to “reinvent” my career. I previously worked in automotive finance and will stay in that industry, but in a marketing-related position. I will be working in what you might call a “start-up” environment (pursuing new growth opportunities) within a well-established company, so it will be very exciting to develop the position over time.

Of course, as we went through the process of extending and accepting an offer, the topic of salary and benefits was discussed. Money talks can be stressful - I know I’m not quite comfortable with the “negotiations” just yet.

I found an interesting article on how to handle the money issue and negotiating pay. I felt my offer was very reasonable, (and as I said, I’m not terribly comfortable negotiating pay - something I should probably work on) so I accepted the offer without countering.

I wish I had found this article before my phone interview with the HR recruiter. Her last question was about my salary expectations - she wanted to make sure we were in the same ballpark. I think I answered the question okay, but next time, I should be more confident. One friend says to be careful even filling out employment applications that ask for previous salaries. He feels you may not get HR’s strongest offer if you divulge this information too soon. Or you could be passed over if the company feels they will not be able to afford you.

I don’t know what the right answer is in handling the topic of pay. But I do think reading articles like this one and practicing what you plan to say helps.