How to Answer What Are Your Salary Expectations

The recruiter screen is going well. Then, ten minutes in, you hear it: “So what are your salary expectations?” You have about three seconds to answer a question that can move your pay by thousands of dollars, and you have no idea what they have budgeted.

Say a number that is too low and you may be paid that number for years. Say one that is too high and you worry the call ends politely and you never hear back. So most people mumble something, usually their current salary plus a little, and regret it on the drive home.

This question has a small number of good answers. Which one you use depends on how early you are in the process and how much you know about what the role pays.

The short version: if it is early and you do not know their budget, ask for the range first. If they press, or you already know the market, give a researched range whose bottom number you would happily accept, and say you are flexible on the full package. Then stop talking.

Salary expectations: deflect, ask, or answer

Recruiters ask early for a plain reason: they have an approved budget, and they do not want to take you through four rounds only to find out you are far apart. It is a screening question first and a negotiation question second. A good answer shows you are near their budget without locking you in before you understand the job. Whatever you say becomes an anchor. If you say 95 and their range went up to 120, do not expect an offer at 120.

Use this to decide what to do in the moment.

Situation	What to do	Why
First call, no range posted, you have not researched	Ask for their range	You have nothing to anchor on yet
Range is in the posting	Answer inside that range	Deflecting looks like you did not read it
They ask a second time	Give your range	Refusing twice reads as difficult
You know the market cold	Give your range first	A strong first number pulls the conversation toward it
Late stage, offer coming	Give a specific target	Vague answers now cost you money

One deflection is normal and recruiters hear it every day. A candidate who refuses twice starts to look hard to close, and that impression costs more than a slightly imperfect range.

How to deflect once without sounding evasive

Sound cooperative. You are asking for the information you need to answer well.

On a first recruiter call:

“I’m happy to talk numbers. I’d like to make sure we’re in the same ballpark too. What range has been budgeted for this role?”

When you really do need to know more about the job first:

“It depends on the scope. The posting could be a senior individual role or something closer to a team lead, and those pay differently. Can you tell me the level and the range you have approved? Then I can tell you right away whether it works.”

When they push back with “we’d like to hear from you first”:

Do not deflect again. Move to your range. You can soften it with one sentence that keeps room to adjust:

“Understood. Based on what I know so far, I’m looking at roles in the 115 to 130 range for base, and I’m flexible depending on bonus, equity and the full scope.”

Notice none of these scripts mention what you earn now. In a number of US states and cities, employers are not allowed to ask about salary history at all. Wherever you are, your current pay is not the question, and you do not need to volunteer it. If asked directly, redirect: “I’d rather focus on what this role should pay. For this scope I’m targeting 115 to 130.”

What are your salary expectations: answers that work

When it is time to give a number, give a range, and build it carefully.

Step 1: Research the role, not your history

Look at what this job pays at this level in this location or remote pay band. Good sources, in rough order of usefulness:

1. The posting itself, and the same company’s other postings at the same level.
2. Postings for similar roles at comparable companies, especially in places that require pay ranges in ads.
3. Salary sites that show recent, role-specific data points.
4. People in your network who hire for or hold this kind of role. Ask “what would you expect this role to pay?” rather than “what do you make?”

Step 2: Set the bottom of your range at a number you would be glad to get

This is the rule people break most. Employers hear the bottom of your range. If you say “100 to 120,” you said 100. So put your real target at the bottom and let the top stretch above it. If you would be happy at 115, your range is 115 to 130, not 100 to 115.

Keep the range reasonably tight. A spread of roughly 10 to 15 percent sounds researched. “Somewhere between 90 and 140” sounds like a guess.

Step 3: Say it in two sentences

“For a role with this scope, I’m looking for a base salary between 115 and 130. I’m flexible depending on the full package, and I’m sure we can find a number that works if the fit is right.”

Then be quiet. The urge to keep talking, to explain and apologize and lower the number yourself, is strong. People negotiate against themselves in that silence. Let the recruiter respond.

If you are changing fields or levels, anchor to the new role: “I’ve researched this role specifically. For this level I’m seeing 85 to 95, and that range works for me.” That takes your old salary off the table.

How to answer the salary question on an application

Online forms are harder than calls because a form cannot hear nuance. A few rules for the desired salary field:

• If the field accepts text, write “Negotiable” or “Open, based on total compensation.” This is widely accepted and keeps your options intact.
• If the field requires a number, enter a real one. Use the midpoint to upper half of your researched range. Do not enter 0, 1 or 999999. Some systems filter on this field, and a recruiter who sees a junk value may assume carelessness.
• If the posting lists a range, choose a number inside it that fits your experience. A number above the posted maximum can screen you out before a human reads your resume.
• If the form asks for current salary and you prefer not to share it, leave it blank when it is optional. When it is required, check whether the question is even permitted where you live, and consider entering your target with a note in the comments.

If you learn in interviews that the job is bigger than the posting suggested, you can say so: “Now that I understand the scope includes managing the vendor team, I’d put my range at 125 to 135.”

How pay transparency rules change the conversation

A growing list of US states and cities now require employers to put pay ranges in job postings or to share the range when a candidate asks. The details vary by place and they change, so check the rules where you live if it matters to your situation. In practice:

• Read the posting before every call. If a range is listed, the recruiter expects you to have seen it. Your answer becomes: “I saw the posted range of 100 to 125. Given my experience with enterprise accounts, I’d expect to be in the upper part of that range.”
• Ask. Even where it is not required, “what’s the range for this role?” no longer raises eyebrows. Many recruiters will simply tell you.
• Know what a posted range means. Companies often post the full band for the level and plan to hire near the middle. The top is usually reserved for people who already exceed the requirements. If you want the top, be ready to explain why with specifics.
• Very wide posted ranges tell you little. If the ad says 80 to 160, ask: “That’s a broad range. Where do you expect to land for someone with my background?”

What if your range is higher than their budget?

Sometimes you give your range and hear: “That’s above what we have for this role.” Do not drop your number on the spot. Work through it in order.

1. Find the size of the gap. “Thanks for being direct. What is the range?” A gap of five percent is a conversation. A gap of thirty percent is a different job.
2. Ask about flexibility and level. “Is there room for a candidate at the senior end? Or is there a higher level version of this role?” Budgets are often attached to a level, and strong candidates do get leveled up.
3. Look at the whole package. Bonus, equity, sign-on pay, extra time off and a guaranteed six month compensation review can all close a modest gap.
4. Decide whether to continue. If the gap is large and fixed, it is fine to say: “I appreciate it. That’s further from my target than I can make work, but I’d love to stay in touch if a more senior role opens.” You saved both sides several weeks.

If you stay in the process, you have not agreed to their number. You have agreed to keep talking. The real negotiation happens after the offer, and our guide on how to negotiate your salary picks up from there.

Mistakes that cost people money

• Answering with your current salary plus ten percent. Your old pay reflects your old job’s budget. Price the new role.
• Giving a low number to seem easy to work with. Nobody gets hired for being cheap, and you will be paid what you said.
• Apologizing. “I know it’s a lot, but…” tells them you do not believe your own number.
• Saying “I’m open to anything.” It sounds flexible and reads as unprepared.
• Improvising. This question is nearly guaranteed. It deserves the same rehearsal as tell me about yourself.

Practice it out loud before the call

Say your range out loud ten times and record it once. Notice whether your voice rises at the end like a question, and whether you rush to fill the silence afterward. Those two habits undo good research.

Better still, have someone play the recruiter and push back on you: ask twice, tell you the number is over budget, ask what you make now. That is what interview prep coaching is for. Realign coaches include former recruiters and hiring managers who have asked this question from the other side of the table, and they can tell you how your answer lands.

If you have interviews coming up, get matched with a coach. The quiz takes about two minutes, and your first session is fully refundable within 48 hours.