Harper's Rules by Danny Cahill Page A

nothing. It’s the only way to play this.”
    â€œBut that all changes when they make an offer, right?”
    â€œExactly. Once you’ve been selected as the person they want, the power dynamic shifts to you. Ready to type some more?”
    â€œShoot.”
    Neutral Response (Advanced Version)
    Plead the Fifth if pressured. Some companies insist you give them a number. They will press you for a salary that you would find acceptable. The more they push, the harder it isto not yield because you don’t want to make them mad. But once you give the number: a) it is hard to change that number, and b) you have lost the leverage of mystery. So, plead the Fifth:
    â€œI can tell you feel strongly about getting an absolute number, and I respect that tremendously as strong leadership that appeals to me, but I just don’t have that number finalized. I have other opportunities I need to consider. But I can tell you this (this will satisfy them and titillate, a nice combo): While money is a factor for all of us, and every opportunity I am looking at offers some kind of reasonable increase, my primary motivation is not money. I want to come to work every day with energy and purpose.”
    â€œSo the message when you say ‘some kind of reasonable increase,’” I interjected, “is, ‘you will have to pay me more than I’m making to get me,’ but at the same time you defuse the avarice stigma. Nice.”
    â€œLucky for you I accept both sincere praise and patronizing flattery.”
    â€œOkay, let’s get back to me. How can I modify this, considering I am unemployed? And what if I don’t have ‘other opportunities?’”
    â€œAs a temporarily unemployed person, you continue to go back to your last salary as the base number. As for whether or not you actually have other interviews scheduled, that is semantics; you will. Everyone has other opportunities, even if they haven’t happened yet. You can still say you are considering them. Going online and reading postings is “considering.” You need to be completely honest but not absolutely honest.”
    â€œInteresting distinction. Which one are you being right now, Harper?”
    â€œI’m not saying it’s how you run your whole life; I’m saying it makes no sense to tell a company you would never interview for any other job because you love them so much and would do anything to work for them. Would you tell someone you were in love with that they could treat you any way they want and you would stay with them no matter what?”
    â€œIf we allow for paraphrasing, I think I’ve said exactly that.”
    â€œAnd how did that work out?”
    â€œHarper, all of this is well and good, but I already told Wallace I wanted a 200K base: 75K higher than the base I had and 200K higher than what I am making now.”
    â€œI’ll fix it.”
    â€œHow, without looking dishonest or avaricious?”
    â€œPeople make new decisions when faced with new information. I presented you new information which makes those numbers no longer applicable, and Wallace will have to make a new decision.”
    â€œI love it when you talk spin.”
    â€œFirst I need to know how you left things with Wallace.”
    â€œWe agreed to meet on the 17 th at their Manhattan office at 9 A.M. He wants me to meet the other managing partners and get a product demo.”
    I knew this would please Harper. He has prepped me so many times for interviews that it has become reflexive for me to follow his Cardinal Rule of Ending Interviews.
    Harper’s Rule: Never leave an interview without closing on the next step in the process. Don’t leave without a date and time for the next interview.
    He even gave me a script and told me to memorize it so that it would sound spontaneous:
    â€œWallace, I appreciate how generous you’ve been with your time, and I’m impressed by you and the organization.