If practicable, turn the query into a discussion rather than a question-and-answer period. "Interviewers don't want to be talked at," says Hack. If more than one person is interviewing you, make eye contact will all of them, regardless of whom posed the question. Get everyone involved.

Talking Money
Recruiters at retained search firms usually pass along current salary requirements of a candidate to the hiring company. It's a mistake not to be ready to discuss compensation in an interview if asked; specifically, what it will cost to get them to move to a new job.

Hack suggests putting together a compensation spreadsheet that calculates salary, potential bonus targets, and payouts; vested and unvested stock; stock options; and company perks such as car allowance, club memberships, and company-paid financial-planning services. That way you'll be able to tell an interviewer quickly what you would be leaving on the table should you accept a new job. "It may seem silly, but in this age of direct deposit," notes Hack, "sometimes even CFOs don't know what their paycheck says." They should.

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