What are your salary expectations

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3 Strategies for Answering “What Are Your Salary Expectations?” in an Interview

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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

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.

Interview Question: «What Are Your Salary Expectations»

Emilie Dunphy / The Balance

No matter how great the job interview goes, an interview question about your salary expectations can stop you short.

“What are you looking for in terms of salary?” is a straightforward question and yet the answer is so complex. It’s difficult to know what to say (and what not to say) so that you receive a job offer that’s a win for both yourself and the company.

What the Interviewer Wants to Know

Why do interviewers want to know your salary expectations? Employers may ask this question to get a sense of whether or not they can afford your help. They might also ask you this to see how much you value yourself and your work.

By researching and preparing an answer ahead of time, you can demonstrate to the employer that you’re not only flexible with your salary, but you also know what you’re worth.

Why Salary Questions Are Tricky

There are a number of ways to answer interview questions about salaries, and it’s important to determine how best to answer this question so you can go into your interview with confidence.

While you want to aim high, you also don’t want to aim so high that you put yourself out of the company’s salary range.

If your target compensation is too low, you leave the employer room to go even lower and you could end up feeling miserable with the lack of proper compensation.

It’s also difficult to decide what you want for a salary before you even know what the job entails. This often happens when you’re asked to disclose a salary range requirement on an application, before you’ve learned about the position with any depth.

Salary is not an easy topic, and while there may be no right answer, there is a way to prepare for the question and get what you want.

Determining Salary on an Application

Some paper and electronic applications require you to list your salary expectations. One option is to simply skip this question. However, if it’s listed as a required question and you skip it, the employer might think you’re bad at following directions. Some online applications won’t let you move on to the next page until you answer all the questions. In this case, here are some options:

Answering Questions About Salary Expectations

To prepare a response, you should have a sense of what someone in your industry, and geographic area typically earns. This will allow you to determine a reasonable salary range for the job.

Use one of the many websites that offer salary averages and estimates. Sites like Glassdoor.com, Salary.com, Payscale.com, and Indeed.com all have salary data you can review.

Salaries should be fairly similar across the board, but there may be some differences based on location, experience level, or company size. If you have time to look at more than one source, you should.

Remember to narrow your research to your region. Salaries for a job in Austin, Texas, may be different from those in New York City.

A little research will help you come up with a reasonable salary range to suggest when asked about your expectations, but remember to follow your gut. You don’t want to go to the hiring manager with a salary range that is way too high or way too low.

Watch Now: 3 Ways to Answer Questions About Salary

Examples of the Best Answers

Example Answer #1

My salary range is flexible. I would, of course, like to be compensated fairly for my decade of experience and award-winning sales record. However, I’m open to discussing specific numbers once we’ve discussed the details of the position.

Why It Works: This response works well for the candidate because it mentions that the applicant is well qualified for the job, but is also flexible regarding salary requirements.

Example Answer #2

My salary requirements are flexible, but I do have significant experience in the field that I believe adds value to my candidacy. I look forward to discussing in more detail what my responsibilities at this company would be. From there, we can determine a fair salary for the position.

Why It Works: Asking for more information before committing to a salary range is a good way to avoid mentioning compensation before the hiring manager does. You could follow up with a question about what the company anticipates offering the candidate who is hired.

Example Answer #3

Why It Works: With this response, the applicant lets the employer know that he or she is aware of what similar positions pay. The answer also mentions a range, which provides more room for negotiation than stating a set salary requirement.

Example Answer #4

Why It Works: As with the other answers, it’s always a good idea to note that you’re open to discussing a reasonable salary for a job.

Tips for Giving the Best Answers

Say you’re flexible. You can try to skirt the question with a broad answer, such as, “My salary expectations are in line with my experience and qualifications.” Or, “If this is the right job for me, I’m sure we can come to an agreement on salary.” This will show that you’re willing to negotiate.

Think about your current salary. In addition to researching salaries, you can come up with a salary range by using your current or previous salary as a starting point, especially if you’re making a lateral move in the same industry. Unless your last company was known in the industry for its low wages, assume that your current salary is in line with market expectations. Of course, if you’re making a geographic move, keep in mind any changes in the cost of living. It’s always a good idea to know what you’re worth in the current job market.

Give yourself a raise. Think about what you would consider a fair raise from your current employer, and that could be a good low-end starting point for the new job. Or ratchet up your current pay by as much as 15% to 20%, which gives you an incentive to switch companies, and is still within a reasonable range for your industry and level of experience.

Only give numbers you’d be happy with. Only offer a range that gives you the means to support yourself and your family.

Be prepared to negotiate. Many candidates are hesitant to ask for more money because they are concerned that it could cost them a job offer. However, you may be able to negotiate your way to a higher starting salary. Hold off on asking until you actually have an offer to consider.

What Not to Say

Avoid giving a set amount. If you can avoid mentioning a specific salary until after the employer mentions it, negotiation will be more in your favor.

Don’t be negative. Even if the amount you’re offered seems insultingly low, respond gracefully and ask if there is room to negotiate.

Related Interview Questions

Key Takeaways

Research salaries. Before your job interview, take the time to research salaries, so you’re prepared to answer the question.

Know your bottom line. Calculate how much you need to earn to pay the bills, and what the minimum salary you’d accept would be.

Be prepared to negotiate. Many employers expect candidates to counter offer, so be prepared to negotiate once you’ve received an offer.

Как правильно отвечать на вопрос “Какие у вас зарплатные ожидания?” на рынке США

На первом интервью чаще всего рекрутер может задать вопрос о зарплатных ожиданиях кандидата — “What Are Your Salary Expectations?”. Я принимаю участие в найме продукт-менеджеров, дизайнеров и инженеров и хочу поделиться с вами своим опытом как правильно отвечать на этот вопрос применительно к рынку США.

Я не рекомендую раскрывать никаких цифр как на ранней стадии процесса интервью, так и во время раунда интервью. Дальше я расскажу почему именно такая стратегия является наиболее выигрышной.

Почему задают этот вопрос?

Задача рекрутера в том, чтобы устранить кандидата из цикла интервью на основе завышенных ожиданий на самой ранней стадии. Если кандидат раскрывает свои пожелания по зарплате — это делает жизнь рекрутера проще, он лучше понимает на каком зарплатном уровне находится кандидат.

Если озвучить маленькую сумму (которая может быть вашим потолком), рекрутер обязательно зацепится за нее, так как ему платят деньги в том числе и за то, чтобы он нашел самого “выгодного” для компании кандидата.

Если же назвать слишком высокую зарплату, тогда рекрутер может озвучить, что ваши зарплатные ожидания значительно превышают выделенный бюджет на позицию. И поэтому для него уже нет большого смысла продолжать беседу.

Важно отметить: если рекрутер готов исключить кандидата из процесса интервью только лишь потому, что он не раскрывает никаких данных о зарплате — для вас, как для кандидата, это должен быть очень сильный красный флаг. И вполне возможно это не та компания, на которую вы бы хотели работать.

Домашняя работа

Прежде чем выходить на рынок работы я рекомендую провести домашнюю работу и пронализировать этот рынок. Чтобы попробовать выяснить сколько за интересующую вас позицию сейчас платят в вашей географии, отрасли и вашего уровня. Важно обратить внимание не только на названия должности, но и на описание обязанностей и требования к квалификации. Ну и в идеале в интересующей вас компании.

Лично я отдаю предпочтение сайту Levels.fyi. О нём и некоторых других сайтах для IT/Tech я подробно писал в статье “Где искать данные по зарплате”. Проделав такой анализ рынка можно выровнять и откалибровать свои ожидания. Это позволит не ввязываться в сомнительные авантюры, сэкономить время на интервью с компаниями где не будут платить столько, сколько вы хотите.

Процесс интервью

Когда начинается интервью, не важно с рекрутером, с нанимающим менеджером или с любым другим интервьюером, важно быть вежливым и доброжелательным. На фразу и последующий вопрос рекрутера:

“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?”

важно задать правильный тон с самого начала:

I appreciate you asking, but kindly and respectfully deflect.

Рекрутер часто может повторить этот вопрос несколько раз и даже по-разному. Постарайтесь сделать так, чтобы это вас не смутило и не сбило с толку. Такова работа рекрутера — задавать столь неудобный вопрос, поэтому позвольте ему делать свою работу. В ваших силах быть вежливым и доброжелательным при ответе на такой вопрос.

Если же вопрос задаётся повторно:

“What are your salary expectations?”

важно ответить так:

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

Вполне возможно этим дело не ограничится, рекрутер может поддавить и задать вопрос повторно. Тогда ответ такой:

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.

Хороший рекрутер услышит это и попробует сместить разговор в сторону чтобы получить хотя бы диапазон ваших зарплатных ожиданий. Он может спросить:

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

Ваша задача — перекинуть мячик обратно на сторону рекрутера и сказать:

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

Сказали это, выдерживаете паузу и наблюдаете. В большинстве случаев рекрутер не скажет об этом, так как не в его интересах раскрывать все карты сразу. Поэтому он может сказать:

We really need this data before we move forward”.

И тогда всё еще важно оставаться очень доброжелательным и стойким:

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.

Снова выдерживаете паузу. Постарайтесь не поддаваться на эмоции и не раскрывать свои зарплатные ожидания. Ведь вы на самом деле ещё можете не знать в полной мере, что предстоит делать на этой позиции. Вполне может быть такое, что работа будет гораздо более стрессовая, чем вы изначально предполагали, или эта работа будет требовать значительных временных инвестиций сверх 8-часового рабочего дня.

Вы можете не знать “особенности” нанимающего менеджера. А после того, как вы узнаете эти детали про роль и должностные обязанности, вполне возможно вы скорректируете свои ожидания в несколько большую сторону.

Если дальше во время интервью снова возникнет вопрос про зарплатные ожидания, важно оставаться вежливым и доброжелательным:

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.

Не предоставляйте рекрутеру цифры. Ваша задача сделать так, чтобы он сделал это первым. Некоторые рекрутеры могут проверять кандидата и говорить что-то из серии:

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

нужно снова оставаться хладнокровным и снова перекинуть мячик на их сторону:

Mandatory part? Did I get you right?

Выдержите паузу и посмотрите на реакцию. В реальности может оказаться, что это вовсе и не обязательное требование или что их компания предоставляла офферы кандидатам, которые ничего не раскрывали о зарплате на этапе интервью. Если рекрутер ничего не упоминает, попробуйте ответить так:

I just want to try and understand has there ever been one of these situations where a candidate did not provide their information and the company provided those numbers for them initially?

И снова посмотрите на реакцию. Конечно же, ответ на такой вопрос очевиден и он 100% — “да”! Были сильные кандидаты, которые отказывались раскрывать зарплатные ожидания и несмотря на это компания не только была заинтересована в их найме, но и сделала это.

Если же рекрутер заявляет:

“Hey, this is a stopping point”

That’s something I would really need to think about. Again, I really prefer for companies to present the offer first. I don’t want to lose the opportunity, but I really want to just think about what those numbers need to be.

И снова — пауза. Если в этом случае рекрутер снова заявляет:

“Unfortunately, we’ve reached a stopping point. We’ve other candidates in the process that have provided some salary information and I’ve been given the directive from leadership or the hiring manager that we need to get this information before we can move forward to the next step”

вам важно признать, что у рекрутера непростая работа, вы понимаете, что вам нужно следовать такому подходу, и это тот самый момент, когда можно раскрыть данные о желаемой заплате.

Если вы действительно заинтересованы в работе именно в этой компании и именно на этой позиции — крайне важно озвучить максимально высокую планку. Я рекомендую озвучить на 20% выше по сравнению с тем, что вы изначально рассматривали как потолок. Такой подход им позволит обсудить с вами условия снижая планку, но вы не проиграете.

После озвучивания вы можете спросить:

How does that fit with your budget?

Вы можете посмотреть на реакцию и реагировать соответствующим образом. Если ответ:

That fits our budget.

— это прекрасно. Можно выдохнуть и настраиваться на лучшее. Если же рекрутер смотрит неодобрительно или говорит что-то в таком роде:

“This number is really high” или “This is way out of range, I wish we had discussed that earlier on”

важно подтвердить, что вы услышали рекрутера и показать, что вы внимательно его слушаете. Когда он закончил вы можете сказать:

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.

И снова — пауза. Теперь мячик на стороне рекрутера. Ему нужно будет сделать следующий шаг.

Вполне возможно вам сделают оффер, но он может быть не таким как вы ожидали. Но они не будут удерживать формирование оффера только потому, что ваши ожидания выше чем их возможности по бюджету для этой роли.

Ну а если оффер сделают, вас устраивает предложенная зарплата и она выше, чем вы изначально ожидали — это замечательно. Именно ради этого всё и затевалось. Поздравляю!

Короткая выжимка

Сделайте домашнюю работу и откалибруйте ваши зарплатные ожидания

Не раскрывайте их на этапах интервью так долго как вы сможете

Чем дольше вы это не раскрываете, тем больше вероятность, что компенсация будет увеличена

Вполне реально договориться о зарплате выше ваших изначальных ожиданий на этапе обсуждения оффера, там компания охотнее идёт на уступки. Не нужно лишать себя такой возможности.

Об авторе

Lead Product Manager @ Cisco, ex-PM at Acumatica, MightyCall, WordDive

Мой телеграм-канал — Beyond the Hype. Я делаю его полезным для продукт-менеджеров, разработчиков, и других членов команд по запуску продуктов, кто ищет работу за рубежом, удалённо или с релокацией. Делюсь личным опытом и знаниями.

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What are your salary expectations?

In many states, it is now illegal for hiring authorities to ask about your current earnings. A question like this will give the interviewer a solid idea of what you are hoping to earn. When you change positions, you want to see an increase in wage. Most interviewees will typically aim for a 7-15% increase for each time they change jobs. This range offers room for negotiations with the new company. This percentage increase reflects economic inflation, unique skills you bring to the table from the last time you joined an organization, and an increase in responsibilities. The best way to discuss your salary expectations is to use your current earnings as an example if you are comfortable doing so. If this makes you uncomfortable, do give as many indicators as you can. Be open, and honest. Transparency is the best choice when salary based questions arise.

If you are newer to your career, or the area, and are unsure of what a fair ask may be, there are many reliable salary calculators available online.

«I am negotiable with my salary expectations. However, I am not inclined to lose compensation. Compensation to me, though, is not only net pay. I take into account work hours, commute. overnight travel, health benefits, etc.»

Anonymous Interview Answer

Kevin’s Feedback for the Answer Above

I recommend putting some more thought and nuance into your answer. One one hand you express you are flexible, but on the other hand you express your number is somewhat inflexible due to cost of living. But you don’t detail what makes you worthy of such an investment. You don’t have to revisit your qualifications or your answers to other questions to justify your number. Instead, exemplify your worth in how you answer this question. By putting thought into your communication you can exemplify your worth.