As a manager, I have been amused by the different approaches that some interviewees have taken over the years. There are a couple of interviews that stand out as contenders for the Academy Award for Best Cocky Performance.

Performance number one features an inexperienced recent graduate interviewee I’ll call “Pug.” Pug showed up for the interview on time, was well dressed and seemed well prepared for the interview.

I opened the interview with a simple greeting, offered Pug something to drink, and let him know what was going to happen in the interview. Before I could ask my first question, Pug filled me in on his salary expectations and told me there were other companies willing to meet his expectations. I can tell you that his expectations were about double what we normally pay fresh graduate candidates and he knew we would never be able to pay Pug what he was looking for. I decided to acknowledge that Pug had a salary expectation and, frankly, went through the motions for the rest of the interview. I had already made my decision to “decline” within the first few minutes of the interview.

Performance number two features a very experienced and qualified candidate whom I will call “Kip”. Kip had an extensive resume with experience that would be valuable to me and showed much promise. Kip didn’t totally buy me, so he was looking forward to our interview. Throughout the interview, his tone was one of “you have to convince me why he should come work for you” and he let me know that he would take “a lot of money” to get him away from his current job. I was very disappointed that someone who I initially felt had promised turned into an arrogant mercenary looking to put his services to the highest bidder. Kip ended up staying at his current employer and didn’t come to work with me.

Both performances had a common thread running through them. They both brought compensation into the discussion before I had a chance to decide if I wanted them as employees. Now don’t get me wrong; compensation is a big component of why we work; the mortgage needs to be paid, the kids need braces, and the government wants its cut. You must ensure that you are fairly compensated for the work you do. However, there is an appropriate time to discuss compensation, and that is after the employer has already decided they want you and you have decided you want to be an employee. Before I get too deep into this, I’m going to assume that you’ve done some basic homework at work and don’t expect to make $100k per year for a job that will pay $30k. If there’s such a big gap, realign your expectations or don’t proceed with the interview process.

Assuming there is a match in compensation expectations, your priorities in the interview process should start with qualifications. Most successful ad campaigns don’t first show the price of the product and then explain the value they provide. They make you see how the product will meet some need you have and then tell you how much it will cost (and what a great deal it is for you!) Your interview strategy is no different; You want to show how you fill a need and how you can solve a potential employer’s problem before discussing compensation. Once an employer understands his qualifications and sees his value to the company, they can better focus on compensation.

Want some ideas on how to nail down the grades first? Look these:

• Show them you want the job – Ask good questions that show your interest in the job. Be interested and let the interviewer see it. Don’t worry if you’re losing leverage in the negotiation because you’re showing interest. You want him or her to be excited about the prospects of you doing the job.
• Don’t play hard to get – Showing disinterest or indifference to the job in order to get the potential employer to take you away from your current job is simply rude. Most of the time, the prospective employer will walk away rather than play your game. Come across as a prima donna and it can backfire on you and you’ll miss out on the job you really wanted.
• Find a problem and offer to help solve it – If during your interview you bring up a real-life problem the potential employer is experiencing, offer to do some research, and write down some things that could be done to solve the problem, you’ll make a big impression. If your offer is accepted, burn the midnight oil if necessary to jot down your thoughts and send them to them within 24 hours of your interview. The couple of times interviewees have done that with me, I have been impressed not only with the content they provided, but also with their initiative and responsiveness. Both interviewees eventually ended up as employees.
• Talk like you already have the job – I like when interviewees use the language “we” during an interview. I didn’t see it as presumptuous; I saw him as the interviewee wanting to be part of a team and to dig in and get things done. Don’t be afraid to speak as if you were a company person; Your interviewer is trying to gauge your fit within the company, so show him.

Establish yourself as a viable and qualified candidate before negotiating compensation. Your best chance to ensure a fair compensation package is to first make the interviewer really like you by showing your skills, showing initiative, and demonstrating your desire to be an employee. Make him or her love you first, then talk about compensation.