The short answer
Ask for their band first β many employers will simply tell you. If pressed, give a researched range rather than a single figure, and keep your current salary out of it. In several US states asking for salary history is unlawful, and the rules vary by jurisdiction, so know the ones where you are applying.
What matters most
- Ask whether the role has a published band before you give a number.
- If you must answer, give a researched range and anchor your target near its lower half.
- Your current salary is not the employer's business, and in some US states they may not ask.
- Never treat an interview answer as a binding commitment β it is an indication of range.
Why they are asking
Almost always for one reason: to check you are affordable before anyone invests more time. Screening calls are run against a budget, and a candidate whose expectations sit thirty per cent above the band is a rejection the recruiter would rather make in minute twelve than in week five. There is a second, less benign reason β anchoring the eventual offer to the lowest number you will say out loud β but the first is much more common, and treating every salary question as an ambush produces exactly the friction you were trying to avoid.
Do the research before the first call
You cannot answer this question well without a number in your head, and inventing one under pressure is how people land twelve per cent below where they should be. The research is an hour, not a project.
- Postings for the same role. The most useful source, because it is what employers are actually advertising right now. Where ranges are published, collect ten and note the shape of the distribution rather than the top figure.
- Adjust for location and sector. The same title pays differently in a bank, an agency, a charity and a startup, and differently again by city. A national average is close to useless.
- Adjust for scope, not title. Headcount, budget, whether the role owns a function or a workstream. Two "marketing manager" roles can differ by fifty per cent on scope alone.
- Ask people who do the job. Former colleagues, professional communities, recruiters who cover your niche. Recruiters will often tell you the band for a role they are not placing you into.
- Price the whole package. Bonus structure, pension or 401(k) match, equity, healthcare, leave, and the cost of the commute. Our job offer comparison tool exists for exactly this, and it is useful before an offer as well as after.
Come out of that with three figures: the number below which you would decline, the number you are aiming at, and the number above which you would be surprised. You will only ever say the middle one aloud, but having all three stops you improvising.
Answering it in the room
A workable sequence: try once to get their number, answer with a range if that fails, and never give a single figure. Deflecting twice is where a reasonable position starts to read as evasion.
"I am currently on $68,000, so anywhere around that would be fine."
"Before I give you a number β do you have a band for the role? I would rather pitch against the scope than against what I am on now."
"I would really rather not say at this stage."
"Based on what I am seeing for similar roles in this market, I am looking in the region of $80,000 to $92,000, depending on the wider package and the scope of the reporting line. Does that sit inside your range?"
| If they say | A reasonable reply |
|---|---|
| "What are your salary expectations?" (first call) | Ask for the band once. If they give it, say whether it works. If they do not, give your range. |
| "What is your current salary?" | "I would rather not anchor to my current role β it is a different scope. For this one I am looking at X to Y." In some US states this question is unlawful; you are entitled to redirect it either way. |
| "We do not disclose the band." | Give your range and ask whether it is workable. If they will not confirm even that, treat it as information about how they will negotiate later. |
| "That is above our range." | Ask what the range is. Then decide whether the gap is bridgeable on scope, title or the wider package, and say so plainly rather than immediately conceding. |
| "Is that negotiable?" | "There is some flexibility depending on the whole package." True, non-committal, and does not collapse your range on the spot. |
| A form field requiring a number | Enter your target, not your minimum, if the field will not accept text. If it accepts text, "negotiable" or "open, based on scope" is fine. |
Where people lose money
Naming your minimum
The most expensive habit. Under pressure people say the smallest number they would accept, because it feels safe and because it makes rejection less likely. Offers tend to land at or near the bottom of whatever range you state, so your stated range should begin at your target, not at your floor. Your floor is a private planning figure and should never be spoken.
Answering before you know the job
If the scope is still unclear β headcount, budget, whether the role includes the thing that would make it a step up β say so and price the version you understand. "For the role as described, X to Y. If it also carries the team, that is a different job and a different number." That is not evasion; it is accurate, and it protects you from being held to a figure you gave for a smaller role.
Treating an interview number as binding
It is not an offer and it is not a contract. It is an indication given on partial information, and if the scope turns out to be larger than described, saying so at offer stage is entirely legitimate. What is not legitimate is inventing a competing offer or revising upwards for no stated reason, both of which damage trust at exactly the wrong moment.
Forgetting everything that is not salary
Base pay is the most visible term and rarely the most valuable one. Bonus mechanics, pension or retirement matching, healthcare contributions, leave, notice, flexibility and progression all carry real money or real time. A role paying slightly less with materially better terms is a common and easily missed win.
What this guide deliberately does not cover
Negotiating an actual offer is a different exercise, done from a different position: they have chosen you, the leverage has shifted, and the conversation is about specific terms rather than a range. That is covered separately, and there is a salary negotiation letter template in our letters library for putting a counter in writing once you have an offer in hand. Everything above is about surviving the question while you are still being assessed.
A short script to have ready
Three sentences, memorised, so that the question never catches you improvising. First: "Do you have a band for the role?" Second, if not: "Based on the market for similar roles, I am looking at X to Y, depending on the wider package." Third: "Does that work for where you are?" It takes fifteen seconds, gives away nothing you did not intend to, and turns a test into an exchange of information.
If the question is arriving early because your application is being read as more junior than you are, the problem may be upstream of the interview. Our resume review checks whether your document is representing your scope accurately, and the guide to quantifying achievements covers the specific fix.
Questions people actually ask
Should I give a salary figure in the first interview?
Ask whether the role has a published band before you give a number β many employers will simply tell you. If they will not, give a researched range rather than refusing twice, because a second deflection tends to read as a risk on a screening call.
Do I have to tell an employer my current salary?
No, and in several US states and cities employers are prohibited from asking. The rules differ by jurisdiction and change, so check the labour authority where you are applying. Either way you can redirect to what you are seeking for this role.
What is the best way to phrase a salary range?
Attribute it to research and name the variables. "Based on the market for similar roles, I am looking at X to Y, depending on the wider package." Start the range at your target rather than your minimum, since offers tend to land near the bottom.
What if my expectations are above their budget?
Ask what the range actually is. Sometimes the gap is small enough to close on scope, title or the wider package. If it is not, finding out in the first conversation has saved you several rounds.
Can I change my number later in the process?
Yes, if the scope turns out to be bigger than it was described, and if you say why. An early figure is an indication on partial information, not a commitment. Revising upward without a reason damages trust at offer stage.
What should I put in a salary box on an application form?
Your target figure, not your minimum, if the field requires a number. If it accepts text, "negotiable, based on scope" is acceptable and leaves the conversation open.
