What is your expected salary: How to Answer “What Are Your Salary Expectations?”

How to Answer “What Are Your Salary Expectations?”

When you’re in the middle of a job interview, a question like “What are your salary expectations?” can make you panic. You don’t want to say something too high and price yourself out of a job you want or need, and you don’t want to say something too low and end up not getting paid as much as you could or should be making.

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Some of this concern is warranted. When career coach Joyel Crawford worked in recruiting, the main reason she asked about salary was to gauge a job candidate’s expectations relative to the budget allocated for the role. So unlike many other common interview questions, your response to “What is your desired salary?” could disqualify you from consideration for a job. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since you might not be able to accept or enjoy a job that doesn’t pay enough for you.

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You might also be afraid that the interviewer will judge you harshly if you price yourself too high or too low, but that generally isn’t the goal. This question is more about finding a salary match, says Crawford, who is also host of the podcast Career View Mirror.

Discussing salary early on ensures neither the candidate nor the company will “waste time and effort on several rounds of interviews to find out that the salary is wildly off from what you want,” says Muse career coach Jennifer Fink, CEO and founder of Fink Development. “Ideally, employers and recruiters would be upfront with [salary] information and volunteer it first, but that’s not often the case,” Fink says. When a job posting lists pay, candidates will avoid applying if it’s out of their range, and when an interviewer mentions it first candidates can respond without any guesswork. Unfortunately, not every employer has a culture of transparency surrounding pay, Fink says.

There are several strategies for answering interview questions about your salary expectations, but the basis of all of them is doing your research ahead of an interview.

Pro tip: “What are your salary expectations?” is a different question from “What is your current salary?” which is illegal in some states and cities. Get advice on answering questions about your salary history here.

Figure Out Your Salary Expectations Ahead of Time

Pay can come up in different ways in a job interview and you can use different strategies to answer these questions (see below). But no matter how you choose to respond, you should still know what your ideal salary is. Maybe the interviewer needs you to state a number, or maybe they tell you what they’re offering and ask you to react. Either way, “Some processes won’t move forward until they know that a candidate is a good fit salary-wise,” Fink says.

Start your salary research by looking up your desired job title by name, geographic location, and years of experience through free resources like the Department of Labor, Payscale.com, and Salary.com. Fink also recommends 81cents, which helps job candidates, especially women and underrepresented minorities, improve the outcome of salary negotiations. You have to pay for their in-depth, personalized reports on your individual market value, but you can also check out their resource library for general information on salary and negotiation.

Asking people in your network who have the job you want what they’re making is another way to gain insight, Fink says. Use multiple sources to get a good sense of the going rate for the kind of job you’re interviewing for and take into account any additional skills and qualifications you have, the size of the company, the industry, and the location. This should give you a reasonable idea of what you can expect a company to offer to pay you.

Next figure out how much pay you personally need (and want). Look at your predicted expenses and goals. If it’s your first job and you’ll be moving out of your parents’ house, if you’ll now have to pay for childcare, or if you’ll have to finance a car to get to the office, this job is going to cause a major budget shift. If you’d be relocating, consider moving expenses and the cost of living near your new job. Take all these factors into account ahead of time so you’re prepared to respond based on your actual needs and don’t accidentally accept a salary “where you’re eating Top Ramen and Moon Pies for dinner each day,” Crawford says.

Crawford also recommends thinking beyond base pay alone. “Ask yourself: What do you value?” This might include stock options, paid time off, a yearly bonus, commuter benefits, or childcare benefits. Think about how the presence or absence of these would affect your salary expectations. For example, you might decide tuition assistance or the ability to bring your dog to work is worth more to you than another $5K a year. On the flip side, major gaps in benefits—like the lack of an employee health insurance plan—might raise your salary requirements drastically. Check the job posting or the company’s website or Muse profile ahead of all your interviews to get a sense of what benefits and perks each company offers.

Use all this to come up with an acceptable salary range for you, so that regardless of how you plan to respond to questions about your salary expectations, you know what number you’re ultimately looking for.

Choose Your Strategy for Answering the Question

Depending on where you are in the interview process and your personal situation, there are three main strategies for answering “What are your salary expectations?” in an interview, Fink says.

1. Give a Salary Range

Responding to questions about salary with a single number limits your ability to make something work with the company, Crawford says. Her secret recipe for successful negotiations is to “come from a place of collaboration and service.” By giving a salary range, you show that you’re willing to be flexible and work with your prospective employer.

And by giving any numbers at all you’re “voicing the value you bring to the table,” Crawford says. Showing that you’ve done your research and you know what you’re worth tells an interviewer that you’re serious about your skills and what you can bring to their company.

Of course there are some drawbacks to giving salary numbers in an early round interview. Waiting until you have a job offer could give you more leverage to negotiate, Fink says. You might also fear leaving money on the table by going too low or losing the opportunity by going too high. But if you’ve done your research, going too low is less likely and going too high means the job wasn’t right for you.

When giving your salary range in an interview, “try to keep the bottom of your range toward the mid-to-high point of what you’re looking for,” Fink says. For example, if you’re personally looking for $85,000 to $100,000 and your best guess of what the company has budgeted is $80,000 to $95,000, you could give a range of $92,000 to $100,000, so that even if the company negotiates below the range you stated in your interview, you’re still happy.

In your answer, “it’s usually worth pointing out that the salary is only one component of what you’re looking for, and that you are considering salary as part of an overall opportunity,” Fink says. You might also want to reiterate what you bring to the table for a prospective employer when formulating your answer to support the range that you’re giving, Crawford says. The company is getting something for their investment—a great employee.

So what does this strategy sound like in practice?

If you’re interviewing for an administrative assistant position in Orlando, FL, you might say something like:

“Taking into account my experience and Excel certifications, which you mentioned earlier would be very helpful to the team, I’m looking for somewhere between $42,000 and $46,000 annually for this role. But for me, benefits definitely matter as well. Your free on-site gym, the commuter benefits, and other perks could definitely allow me to be a bit flexible with salary.”

For a front-end web developer interview in Atlanta, GA, your answer might be:

“In general I’m looking to make around $68,000 to $75,000 in my next role given my experience and expertise in Python, JavaScript, and AngularJS. However, compensation isn’t the only thing that matters to me and I’d love to learn more about the job, the company, and the work environment here. Your website mentions childcare benefits, which signals to me that this is a company that values working parents, which is definitely important to me, and I could be a bit flexible with salary for the right fit.” 

2. Flip the Question

You can also respond to “What are your salary expectations?” by simply asking what the company is looking to pay. “You could say something like, ‘That’s a great question—it would be helpful if you could share what the range is for this role,’’’ Fink says.

Once the interviewer answers your question, they’ll expect you to say if the salary works for you. So you still need to do your research, but now you’ll be able to tailor your response to the budget the company has. If the interviewer gives you a number or range in line with what you expected or higher, great! You can talk about how that sounds perfect for you. But if the response is lower than you’re happy with, you have to come up with a plan to respond.

For example, if the interviewer says a job pays $55,000, and that’s a bit below where you were hoping to make, you might say something like:

“I was hoping for something more in the $60-to-$65K range, but I’m definitely open to negotiating based on the entire compensation package.”

You can then follow up with questions about the benefits that matter most to you like 401(k) matching or additional PTO.

But if you’re looking for a lot more than $55,000, you might have discovered an impasse:

“Unfortunately with my experience and current salary, I don’t know if I can accept anything for less than $80,000 a year. Do you know if there is any flexibility in the budget for this role?”

3. Delay Answering

When you’re still learning the scope of a position and what benefits the company offers, you might prefer to delay answering questions about your salary expectations.

If you choose this strategy, you might say that salary is important to you, but a well-rounded offer and opportunity are more important, and you’d prefer to share your salary expectations later on, Fink says.

This could sound like:

“Right now, finding the right position for me is more important than salary. I’d love to learn more about the job, the company, and the entire benefits package before we talk about numbers.”

One warning: Don’t default to this strategy just because you’re afraid of missing out on a position. When you feel like you really need a job, it might be tempting to take whatever salary you can get, but you’re ultimately doing yourself a disservice.

Remember that you bring value to any company you work for. Figuring out what that value is and telling potential employers will only help you ultimately get the pay you deserve. Crawford points out that in an interview, you’re essentially being asked, “Why should we invest in you?” Knowing what that investment is worth is an essential piece of the puzzle—for you and your potential employer.

Regina Borsellino is a NYC-based editor at The Muse covering job search and career advice, particularly resume best practices, interviewing, remote work, and personal and professional development. Before joining The Muse, Regina was an editor for InvestorPlace, where she also wrote about topics such as investing and biotech companies. She holds a BA in English language and literature from the University of Maryland and an MFA in creative writing from American University. Find her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

More from Regina Borsellino

How to Answer ‘What’s Your Expected Salary?’

November 29, 2022 |5 min read

No matter where you are in your career, you’re likely to be asked about your salary expectations when interviewing for a new job.  

It can pay—literally—to nail the answer. So read on for five tips and tricks on how to communicate your salary expectations clearly, confidently and professionally to a potential employer.

Key takeaways

• Hiring managers and recruiters may ask about salary expectations to make sure they fit with the company’s budget and your qualifications.
• Researching typical salaries for similar roles can help you determine a salary range based on your location, level of experience and education.
• Offering a salary range instead of a fixed number might give you room to negotiate later.
• Before determining a final number or range, it might help to consider additional benefits like paid time off, health insurance, retirement plans and childcare allowances.

Why do hiring managers ask questions about salary expectations?

Hiring managers and recruiters may ask about your salary expectations for several reasons. They may want to determine whether your expectations fit the available budget. Or they may want to see how you value your own skills, experience and education.

The question can also pop up at different stages of the interview process. A recruiter may want to know your desired salary during the first phone call as part of the screening process. Or you may find yourself in the third round of interviews before a hiring manager poses the question.

How to answer ‘What are your salary expectations?’ in a job interview

To prepare yourself to be asked about salary requirements, consider taking the following steps.

1. Define your expectations

The New York State Department of Labor recommends familiarizing yourself with your industry’s hiring trends and typical salaries for the role. When setting your own expectations, you might also consider the following details:

• Your education, experience and training: You can search for roles to gauge prospective salaries. Bear in mind that a senior-level position may come with a higher salary, but that might not be relevant if you’re considering an entry-level role.
• Your location: Look for similar roles in your desired job market. You may find that a role based in a major city has a higher salary than the same role in a rural market.
• The firm’s average salary range for the role: You may be able to find a potential employer’s salary ranges on websites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn. While these numbers aren’t always correct or up to date, they can be a useful benchmark.

2. Give a salary range

Offering a compensation range you could be comfortable with instead of a fixed number might add some flexibility—something a recruiter or hiring manager might appreciate. It could also give you time to better understand the role and its expectations before landing on a final number.

When deciding on a range, consider your research, experience and the job description. You can also factor in the cost of living and what you need to support yourself and your loved ones. 

With that in mind, you might say something like, “Based on my research, years of experience, location and what I know about the role so far, I’m looking for an annual salary of between $X and $Y.”

3. Turn the question around

If you’re in the early stages of the interview process, a question about your salary expectations may be an opportunity to learn more about the company’s budget.

You could say, “I’d like to learn more about the role, its expectations and the company culture before discussing my salary requirements. But would you mind telling me what salary range the company is considering for this role?”

Depending on the response, you can share whether the salary matches or falls short of your expectations. If the number is slightly lower than you hoped, it might be possible to negotiate the salary, especially if you’re really interested in the role and feel you would be a good fit.

4. Determine a final number

After a few rounds of interviews, you likely have enough information to state your final number. As a general rule, aim high—but make sure the number is justifiable. 

You’ll want to be prepared to back up your desired compensation with data, like average salaries for similar positions in the area or for workers with your in-demand skills. It’s also a good idea to highlight the hard skills, soft skills and expertise that you think make you an ideal candidate.

At this point, you can let the hiring manager know whether you’re willing to negotiate as well. Negotiating your salary may seem intimidating, but it’s a generally expected part of the interview process.

There’s more than compensation to consider when negotiating, too. You can take into consideration any additional benefits, like:

• Bonuses
• Flexible working schedules
• Remote working opportunities
• Childcare assistance
• Tuition assistance
• Additional time off
• Insurance coverage
• Retirement benefits

5.

Remain professional

Whenever the question about salary expectations comes up, it’s a good idea to keep your tone professional and upbeat. You can express gratitude when the hiring manager considers your request, whether it’s accepted or not.

Remember, the interview process is your chance to advocate for yourself. Be confident in your abilities and the research you’ve done. At the same time, be prepared to compromise if the offer is within reason and the role is a good fit.

You can always request a salary review in the near future—or decline the offer and ask to be considered for future opportunities. Either way, you’ll close the process on a positive note.

Answering ‘What’s your desired salary?’ in a nutshell

Answering the “What’s your desired salary?” question isn’t always easy, but a little preparation can go a long way. It’s good to take the time to research typical salaries for the role and experience level and to look for what the organization usually offers new hires.

It’s important to be confident in your skills and your ability to negotiate with a potential employer. Salary negotiations are an essential—and expected—part of the hiring process. And once you’ve landed the job and salary that you deserve, it might be time to think about how to manage your money effectively.

At the interview: how to answer the question about the desired salary – Sergey Belyaev / LIGA.Blogs

Author’s blogs and comments to them reflect only the point of view of their authors. The editors of LIGA.net may not share the opinion of the blog authors.

06/21/2015 18:04

Sergey Belyaev
Director of Interregional Recruiting Company “Navigator”

Some questions in a job interview can lead you into a trap. One such insidious question is: “What are your wishes for wages?”

During a job interview, you will have to answer a lot of questions. Numerous recommendations on the Internet, including some of my articles, will help you answer many of them.

However, some questions create difficulties for most applicants and can even lead you into a trap. One such insidious question is: “What are your wishes for wages?” What is the trick here and how to correctly answer such a question, I will tell you now.

So, if you ask for a high salary right away, this can significantly increase the likelihood of refusal. Declare too low a salary – devalue yourself. Where is the golden mean?

The best thing you can do is delay the salary discussion as much as possible and force the employer to offer you the compensation level first. By giving a direct answer, you immediately give the employer the initiative and control over the situation.

Many HR professionals and recruiters rightly believe that by requiring applicants to evaluate themselves, they help themselves find the best candidates at the best price. Therefore, they put pressure on you during the interview process, trying to squeeze exact numbers out of you.

You have another task – to sell yourself at a higher price. So don’t give in to pressure.

Here are some tips on how to get away from direct salary answers to your advantage.

1. Understand your true value in the labor market.

Before you go for an interview, research offers in your industry and profession. Browse the Internet for both job offers and resumes of colleagues at your level. You must understand how much your experience and skills are worth on the labor market now. This will be one of your advantages – knowing your real market value as a specialist.

2. If asked, delay answering.

As soon as the recruiter finds out your desired salary level, the initiative is already on his side. Postpone salary discussions until the employer shows a clear and strong interest in your candidacy.

Say, for example: “It depends on several factors that we haven’t discussed yet. For example, social package and other benefits, as well as from intangible factors. Please tell us what range of salaries and social package your company can offer to a successful specialist in this position?”

3. If you absolutely must answer, please provide a wide range.

When it comes to direct clarification, ambiguity is your best friend.

This is a sure way not to sell too cheap.

If the employer’s representative insists on an answer, and you have already found out all the nuances of the position, prepared (see paragraph 1), then declare a plug from … to … Moreover, your lower bar should be approximately equal to the upper number of the employer’s plug, should cling to her like a hook. Like this:

“Based on my level of expertise and experience, I am open to discussing salaries from…”

I hope you have researched the potential offer of this company in advance, or at least analyzed the salary levels in this industry, position and region?

4. Most importantly, do not give an unambiguous answer!

Only vague numbers and wide range.

Here are more questions and answers.

What salary are you looking for?

Answer. Let’s first talk about your requirements for the candidate, the tasks and expectations of the company, so that I can understand who you need and whether I really fit.

How much did you earn at your last job?

Answer. The functionality of this position does not quite coincide with what I did at my last job. Let’s first discuss my level of responsibility here and then evaluate the fair level of compensation appropriate for these particular tasks.

Answer 2. I have a flexible attitude to the issue of salary and am ready to discuss the compensation package, but my salary in last place was from 10 to 18 thousand UAH. and I wouldn’t like to have less.

What level of salary do you expect?

Answer. I am interested in finding a job that best suits my experience. And I am sure that your company can offer a decent salary that meets market conditions.

(In other words, I respect myself and expect respect from the company as well. )

Answer 2. I don’t have specific salary requirements, I just want to say that my average living expenses lately range from 10-15 thousand UAH. per month.

I need to know your desired salary level in order to prepare the Job Offer. Please name…

Answer. I would be grateful if you could make me an offer based on the figures you have budgeted for this position. From these figures we will build on …

Why don’t you want to voice your salary wishes?

Answer. I’m sure that you have your own data, how much work is estimated at this position in your company, I would first like to know your numbers.

Comment. Do you think you might be considered stubborn or impolite? Instead, consider how a recruiter might feel asking the same question a second or third time? He usually understands how tough a negotiator you are.

And that’s another reason to propose to you.

Good luck with your interview!

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How to answer the question “What are your salary expectations?” in the US market / Sudo Null IT News0001

At the first interview, most often a recruiter can ask a question about a candidate’s salary expectations — “What Are Your Salary Expectations?” . I am involved in the recruitment of product managers, designers and engineers and I want to share with you my experience on how to correctly answer this question in relation to the US market.

I do not recommend disclosing any figures either early in the interview process or during the interview round. Further I will tell you why such a strategy is the most winning .

Why is this question being asked?

• The task of the recruiter is to remove the candidate from the interview cycle based on high expectations at the earliest stage. If a candidate discloses his salary wishes, this makes the life of a recruiter easier, he better understands what salary level the candidate is at.

• If you voice a small amount (which may be your ceiling), the recruiter will definitely catch on to it, since he is paid money, among other things, to find the most “profitable” candidate for the company.

• If you say that the salary is too high, then the recruiter may say that your salary expectations are much higher than the allocated budget for the position. And so it doesn’t make much sense for him to continue the conversation.

• It’s important to note that if a recruiter is willing to cut a candidate out of the interview process just because they don’t disclose any salary data, that should be a very strong red flag for you as a candidate. And it is quite possible that this is not the company you would like to work for.

Homework

Before entering the job market, I recommend doing homework and analyzing the market. To try to find out how much the position you are interested in is currently paying in your geography, industry and your level. It is important to pay attention not only to the job titles, but also to the description of duties and qualification requirements. Well, ideally in the company you are interested in.

My personal favorite is Levels.fyi. I wrote about it and some other sites for IT / Tech in detail in the article “Where to look for salary data”. Having done such an analysis of the market, you can align and calibrate your expectations. This will allow you not to get involved in dubious adventures, save time on interviews with companies where they will not pay as much as you want.

The interview process

When the interview begins, whether with a recruiter, with a hiring manager or with any other interviewer, it is important to be polite and friendly . To the phrase and the recruiter’s follow-up question:

“Hey, I really enjoyed talking to you. We’d love to move to the next round. Before I do, I need to understand a little bit more about your salary expectations for this role. Can you please share that with me?”

it is important to set the right tone from the start:

I appreciate you asking, but kindly and respectfully reject.

A recruiter can often repeat this question several times and even in different ways. Try not to be embarrassed or confused by this. It’s the recruiter’s job to ask such an uncomfortable question, so let him do his job. It is in your power to be polite and friendly when answering such a question.

If the question is asked again:

“What are your salary expectations?”

it is important to answer like this:

I am open and negotiable to the right opportunity. My #1 priority is finding the right fit for both of us.

It is quite possible that the matter will not be limited to this, the recruiter can suppress and ask the question again. Then the answer is:

I’m really excited to learn more about the position, meet with the members of the team, and learn more about the company and I’d love to do those items before discussing compensation.

A good recruiter will hear this and try to sidestep the conversation to get at least a range of your salary expectations. He may ask:

“Can you please provide me with the number or range that would have feel you comfortable to move forward?”.

Your job is to toss the ball back to the recruiter and say:

Can you tell me a little bit more about the salary range for this role?

Have said this, pause and observe. In most cases, the recruiter won’t tell you this because it’s not in their interest to show all the cards at once. So he might say:

We really need this data before we move forward. ”

And then it is still important to remain very kind and persistent :

I want to thank you again for all your time and effort. As I mentioned in our initial conversation, I am open and negotiable to the right opportunity. This is about the number that I’m looking for, but I’d love to come back to see an offer from your company and see how we can make it make sense because I am excited and interested, and sounds like you guys are as well.

Pause again. Try not to get emotional and not reveal your salary expectations. After all, in fact, you still may not fully know what you have to do in this position. It may well be that the job will be much more stressful than you originally anticipated, or the job may require a significant time investment beyond the 8-hour work day.

You may not know the “features” of the hiring manager. And after you learn these details about the role and job responsibilities, it is quite possible that you will adjust your expectations a little more.

If your company believes I’m the right fit, I’d love to see an offer in writing and discuss how it aligns with my needs.

Don’t give the recruiter numbers. Your task is to make him do it first. Some recruiters may check the candidate and say something along the lines of:

“At this stage this is a mandatory part of our process to get these numbers”

need to stay cool again and toss the ball back to their side: