How to Answer 'What Are Your Salary Expectations?'

"What are your salary expectations?" is one of the most consequential questions in a job interview — and one of the most poorly handled. Most candidates either anchor too low out of fear, or deflect entirely and leave the employer frustrated.

There's a better approach.

Why the Question Is Tricky

The tension is real: whoever names a number first loses negotiating leverage. If you say $80K and the company was budgeted for $95K, you've left $15K on the table with no way to recover it. If you say $120K and the budget cap is $90K, you may be screened out before proving your value.

The company already knows their budget. You're being asked to reveal information you don't have. That asymmetry explains why candidates default to deflection or lowballing.

When to Deflect (and How)

Early in the process — first screening call, before you've had a full interview — deflecting is the right call. You don't have enough information about the role, scope, and total comp to quote a defensible number. And you don't need to.

Script for early-stage deflection:

"I want to make sure we're aligned on the role and scope before I give a specific number — but I'd love to know if you have a budget range in mind for the position."

This does two things: postpones the anchor, and turns the question around. Most recruiters will give you a range at this point, which is valuable information. If they press, use:

"I've been targeting roles in the $X-Y range based on my research, but I'm open depending on the total package and growth opportunity."

When to Give a Number

Later in the process — after a second interview, when offer conversations are imminent — deflecting starts to feel evasive and slows things down. At that point, you should know enough about the role to quote a specific range.

Give a range, not a single number. The bottom of your range should be your floor — not your target. Your target should be close to the top of your range.

Example:

"Based on my research and the scope of this role, I'm targeting $90K-$105K. That said, I want to understand the full package — equity, bonus structure, and benefits — before we finalize anything."

How to Research Your Number

You need a market rate before you can quote a credible range. Sources to use:

• Job postings with listed salaries: Many states now require salary ranges in postings. Filter for your target role in your target city and gather data.
• Glassdoor and Levels.fyi: Self-reported compensation data. Imperfect, but useful for ranges.
• LinkedIn Salary Insights: Available with premium, useful for role-level benchmarks.
• Your network: The most accurate source. People who do your target job are often willing to share ranges in a frank conversation, especially if you ask thoughtfully.
• Recruiter conversations: If you're in active conversations with recruiters at other companies, those conversations give you real market data.

Build a range with 3-5 data points. The midpoint of that range is your target. The bottom of the range is your floor.

The Question Behind the Question

When companies ask about salary expectations early, they're often doing two things:

1. Budget screening: Filtering out candidates who are too expensive before investing interview time
2. Anchoring: Locking in a number before you know what the role is really worth

Understanding their motivation helps you respond appropriately. For budget screening, a broad range or a gentle deflection is appropriate — they want to know if you're in their ballpark. For anchoring, you want to delay commitment until you have full information.

If Their Range Is Below Yours

"Thank you for sharing that — I want to be transparent that I've been targeting the $X-Y range based on my research and the scope of what I understand this role to involve. Is there flexibility on compensation, or could we talk about what the total package looks like?"

Don't immediately reject. Don't immediately accept. Create space for a conversation about the full package — sometimes base is constrained but signing bonus, equity, or other benefits have more room.

One Number Not to Give

Don't quote your current salary as your baseline, and don't give your "minimum acceptable" as your answer. Many states and cities now have laws prohibiting employers from asking for your current salary for exactly this reason — history-based compensation perpetuates pay gaps and disadvantages people who were underpaid.

You're not negotiating based on what you made. You're negotiating based on what this role is worth and what you bring to it. Those are different questions.