Even in this tough job market the best new grads, particularly those in sought after disciplines, know what they are worth. They will be much more prepared than in the past to negotiate for the salary they think they deserve. This may have an impact on how you conduct an interview with them—particularly on the question of starting salary. Many career planning courses teach new graduates not to accept any offer of salary. They are taught that many hiring managers have a salary range in mind and they may start at the lower end to see if candidates will bite. When a prospective employer offers a lower salary than expected or asks them what type of salary they are looking for, many college grads are taught that Instead of saying “OK” to an offer, it may be beneficial to pause and say:

1. “HMMM…would you tell me more about my responsibilities in this role?
2. Exactly how will my performance be measured?
3. Will I be expected to work more than the stated 40 hours per week?
4. Would you please describe the various benefits you offer?
5. This way I can make a better and informed decision on the offer.”

They are also advised to keep in mind their commuting distance, cost of gas, expense reimbursement procedure, and talk about their past experiences and have ready a list of what they have to offer. They are told not to jump at the first offer and to be prepared and informed to discuss the salary offer. Unless the interviewer is similarly prepared he or she may be caught off guard.

So here is today’s Daily HR Tip for interviewing college grads:The college grad may have developed an absolute bottom-line acceptable number and say “I’m sorry, but this offer is much less than I expected” and push back on the initial salary offer. If this happens, be prepared with options: the best college grads will expect to be able to negotiate salary based on their perceived worth to the organization. Also expect them to make intelligent, well-informed salary statements and know if the salary range is within the market value for the profession in the geographic area. Good interviewers should be armed with this information too.

When employees leave, organizations have to attend to the high cost of training and development, burnout of existing staff, and decreased quality of products and services due to the shortage of staff. Employee turnover can be a costly problem—particularly for information technology companies.

According to recently published research by Abii, Rose, and Ogula, the U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that the United States will require more than 1.3 million new and highly skilled IT workers to address the projected staff shortage. Their research examined the role of employee satisfaction in the turnover rate of employees in the IT industry and found that the following factors had the most influence on IT employee satisfaction and retention: challenging work, respect, a balanced work life, effective leadership, and a workplace that fosters risk taking.