Featured Image Credit: John Nacion/Getty Images/Drazen Zigic/Getty Images
Topics: Bill Gates, Business, Money, Jobs
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Bill Gates, Business, Money, Jobs
Bill Gates has revealed his perfect response to a job interview question that would have most of us stumped.
And if you're going to take career advice off anyone, it should be him.
The tech magnate is famed for co-founding Microsoft back in 1975, and some nearly 50 years on, he's worth a huge $105.9 billion.
We all know the job hunt can be one hell of a rollercoaster.
Advert
From finding your dream role, to filling out all the details of a seemingly-endless application, only for it to end in rejection - it can be pretty disheartening.
Then, there's the times you make it to interview, only to be let down with very little feedback.
Not to mention that job interviews themselves are a minefield, especially as answering just one question wrong could instantly get you rejected.
Some bosses even pull secret stunts in a bid to catch interviewees out, from the now-famous coffee cup test to the lesser-known 'salt and pepper' test.
But there's one question you can answer in a way which helps you seriously stand out.
And that's your salary expectations.
Talking about money during a first interview could be daunting - and while Gates doesn't give an actual figure you should ask for, he explains how best to answer it.
He advises saying: "I hope the option package is good. I’m able to take risk and I think the company has a great future, so I prefer to get stock options even more than cash compensation."
He adds: "I hear some other companies are paying a lot, but treat me fairly and emphasize the options."
Gates is showing he's no pushover by exploring a number of options, even if they aren't on the table.
And he's proving he's invested in the business by tying his earnings to his performance - which then, in turn, demonstrates his confidence in his own performance abilities.
This sentiment could easily be adapted for any company that has a bonus scheme.
For example, you could talk about how you're dedicated to proving why you should earn 100 percent every quarter by giving the best output you can.
This shows that, while you're here to make money personally, you're also dedicated to performing for the company.
If salary was a cause for concern, however, it would be the case of checking what the average wages for similar roles are and basing it off that.
It's actually become more commonplace for employers to include salaries within their job adverts.
In August 2023, job site Indeed reported that half of US job posts uploaded to their website advertised 'at least some employer-provided salary information'- the highest share yet recorded by the company.