We recently spoke with a woman who was hired into a challenging position she was thrilled to have. The position finally gave her an opportunity to apply all of her skills, experiences, and passions. After a few months of employment she realized how hard her job was. After asking a few questions to get insights on how the person who previously held the position did everything she learned that there was previously a team of five people performing all the duties she was performing on her own. Had she asked (the right) questions she could have negotiated a much higher salary for herself (and perhaps reconsidered the expectations of the position).

Here are six questions to ask in a salary negotiation:

• What challenges have people had in this position previously?
• What changes have been made to overcome challenges people have had?
• Does the company provide specific feedback on how an employee can improve?
• What is the company’s attrition rate for people in my position and why does someone leave this job?
• How does the company assess this department’s performance?
• How are performance results communicated throughout the organization?

Job seekers who don’t ask questions about the job’s current and future responsibilities and performance expectations make a big mistake. When you don’t ask questions in a salary negotiation you run the risk of not negotiating the entire job (because you don’t have the full picture). This can lead to being underpaid. To make a well-informed decision about salary offered learn as many details about the job as possible.