The salary question
How to answer the salary expectations question
When a recruiter asks “What are your salary expectations?”, ask for their range first, name a researched range for this role, and keep your current pay to yourself. Every raise after this job starts from the pay you land here.
Three moves
- 1
Ask for their range first
“Could you share the range budgeted for this role?” The recruiter knows the budget, and 13 states plus DC now require a range in the posting.
- 2
Give a researched range
“Based on [your source] for this role in [your city], I'm targeting [your range] base, depending on the full package.” Check BLS pay data for your area and five to ten similar postings.
- 3
If they ask your current salary, keep it private
“I keep my current pay private, but for this role I'm targeting [your range].” In an experiment with hundreds of recruiters, the pay candidates disclosed moved the offers they got.
When they push
A good recruiter asks twice. Have the second answer ready.
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“I understand, but what are you making now?”
Say“I'd rather we anchor on what this role pays. Is [your range] within your budget?”
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“I just need something for the system.”
Say“Please put [your range]. That's my target for this role.”
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“Is it more or less than [a number]?”
Say“I'd rather not confirm it either way. Is [that number] inside the range for this role?”
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“What's the lowest you'd accept?”
Say“I'm targeting [your range], and I'm looking at the whole package.”
Don't go silent. Recruiters read a refusal with no number as a bad sign. Have a range ready, and never trade it for your current pay. Say your range, then stop. Skip “but I'm flexible.”
Can they even ask? In 18 states plus DC and Puerto Rico, the law limits private employers from asking about or using your pay history, and a dozen cities or counties add their own rules. Asking what you expect to earn is generally allowed. Laws vary and change; this is not legal advice.
If the application asks for desired salary
Many forms ask before anyone calls you. What to put depends on the field.
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It's optional
PutNothing. The number comes up on the call instead, where you can ask for their range first.
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It takes text
Put“Negotiable,” or your researched range: “[$X] to [$Y], depending on the full package.”
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It only takes one number
PutThe bottom of your researched range. Set the range so its bottom is a number you'd be glad to take.
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It asks for current salary
PutNothing, if the form lets you skip it. Never put your current pay in the desired salary box.
You've read the answer. Now say it.
The words come out differently when someone is waiting for them. An AI recruiter asks what you're targeting, what you make now, and the lowest you'd take. Your scorecard shows what it heard.
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More in interview questions
- Questions to ask the interviewer Two or three questions about the team, the work and the next steps.
- Tell me about yourself About a minute: what you do now, one highlight, and why this job is next.
- Why do you want to work here? One detail from the posting, one fact about the company, and your link to both.
- Why are you interested in this position? The parts of the job you want to do, and the proof you can do them.