Slash Jobs
Interview prep, salary scripts and application helpers.
Interview Drill
Role → the 5 questions you'll actually get, with an answer skeleton.
Salary Script
Never say a number first. Here's the exact wording.
Cold Email Draft
A hiring-manager email that doesn't read like a template.
Salary Negotiation Deck
8 rules that add lakhs over a career.
Never give the first number. 'What range is budgeted for this role?' is a complete, professional answer.
If pressed for a number, give a researched range with your floor at the bottom - never a single point.
Research three anchors: local market data, company's pay band if known, your current total comp.
Never negotiate against yourself. If they counter low, repeat your range with one new reason, then stop talking.
Total comp > base: bonus structure, insurance, learning budget, remote policy all have rupee value.
Get every verbal promise in writing before signing. Kindness and paperwork are not opposites.
The best time to negotiate is at offer stage, not after. The second-best time is at your annual review with evidence.
Silence after a number is a tool. Most people fill it and concede. Practise holding four seconds of quiet.
Anchor with market data, not need: 'market rate for this scope in this city is X-Y'. Needs invite sympathy, data invites respect.
Negotiate scope before salary when salary is capped: sign-on bonus, review at 6 months, title, or remote days all have value.
The 'range collapse' move: if they give a wide band, ask 'what determines placement within that band?' - then answer exactly that.
Practise out loud with a friend. Negotiation is a performance; reading tips is not rehearsal.
Emails That Get Replies
Cold-outreach rules from people who send hundreds.
Cold email rule: under 120 words, one ask, one specific reason it's them and not anyone.
Subject lines: 'quick question about [specific thing]' outperforms 'opportunity' every time.
First line must be about them, not you. 'I saw your talk on X' beats 'I am a great candidate'.
The ask: make it a 10-minute favour, not a life decision. Smaller asks convert dramatically better.
Follow up once after 5-7 days, once more after 2 weeks, then move on. Three touches maximum.
Attach proof: one link to your best relevant work. Not a portfolio, not a resume - the one thing.
End with an easy out: 'If this isn't your area, I'd appreciate a pointer to who it belongs to.'
Write at their reading level, not your writing level. Simple sentences signal confidence.
Send Tuesday-Thursday mornings in their timezone. Monday is triage; Friday is fantasy.
One follow-up that adds value (a link, a result) outperforms three 'just bumping this' nudges.
Personalise the first line with something only a human could write. Mail-merge gibberish converts worse than no personalisation.
Kill the attachments on first contact. Links open; attachments trigger IT filters and trust issues.