How to Answer "What Are Your Salary Expectations?" in an Interview

By Christian Marcelino · 2026-06-20 · 6 min read

The question sounds simple, but it rarely feels that way. "What are your salary expectations?" lands early in an interview or on an application form, and suddenly you are doing math under pressure. Name a number too low and you anchor yourself to a smaller offer for years. Name one too high and you worry you have screened yourself out before anyone has seen what you can do.

The good news is that this is a solvable problem. You do not need to be a natural negotiator. You need a little research, a clear script, and a way to give a useful answer without boxing yourself in. Here is a concrete method for handling the salary question at every stage, from the online form to the live conversation.

Do the research before you are ever asked

You cannot give a smart answer if you are guessing. Before any interview, build a defensible range for the specific role, level, and location.

Check public salary data on sites like Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, Payscale, and LinkedIn Salary for the exact job title and seniority.
Look at the job posting itself. In a growing number of places employers must publish a pay range. As of recent reporting, about 11 states require employers to disclose salary ranges in postings or on request, so the number may already be sitting in front of you.
Ask people who do the work. A quick message to someone one or two levels ahead of you in the field is worth more than any aggregator.

Turn that research into three numbers: your floor (the lowest you would accept without resentment), your target (a realistic, well-supported ask), and your reach (the top of the market for the role). You will use all three.

Deflect early, commit late

The person with less information is at a disadvantage when a number gets locked in first. Research on anchoring shows that the party who makes the first offer can gain a powerful advantage by steering the talks, but the same research warns that this backfires when the other side is better informed than you are. Early in a hiring process, the employer almost always knows more about the budget than you do. So when the question comes too soon, it is often smarter to defer.

Try one of these:

"I would like to learn more about the role and the scope before putting a number on it. Can you share the range you have budgeted for this position?"
"I am flexible and more focused on fit right now. What range are you working with?"
"I am confident we can find a number that works once I understand the responsibilities. What did you have in mind?"

Notice that each deflection ends by flipping the question back. Often they will just tell you the range, and now you are negotiating with real information instead of a guess.

When a form forces a number

Online applications rarely let you deflect. A blank field or a hard "expected salary" box demands something. A few practical moves:

If the field accepts text, enter "Negotiable" or "Open, based on total package."
If it demands a figure, enter your target, not your floor. You can always negotiate down; you can rarely negotiate up from a low anchor.
If there is a range option, give a range whose bottom is a number you would genuinely be happy with.

One thing you should not do is volunteer your current pay. In 20 states employers are barred from asking about salary history precisely because past pay tends to drag future offers down. Even where it is legal to ask, you are not required to anchor your future to your past.

Give a range, and make it a smart one

When you do commit, a range usually beats a single number. Columbia Business School researchers Daniel Ames and Malia Mason found that people who made a "bolstering range" offer got better deals than single-price negotiators and were not seen any more negatively for it. The range signals flexibility while quietly pulling the conversation upward.

The trick is to build the range so the bottom is your target, not your floor. If your target is a solid market number, quote from your target up to your reach. A counterpart who does not want to seem rude tends to respond somewhere inside the range you offered, so the whole span should be territory you are happy to land in.

A clean script sounds like this: "Based on my research for this role and level, and the scope we have discussed, I am looking in the range of X to Y. Where I land depends on the full package." Anchor the range to your value, not your needs, and back it with a sentence about the market or the responsibilities.

Anchor to value, not to fear

The instinct that gets people in trouble is answering from anxiety instead of evidence. Your number should be tied to what the role is worth and what you bring, not to your rent. That is easier when you can name your value plainly, which is why it helps to have already mapped your transferable skills and to walk in with the rest of your interview prep done. Confidence in the salary conversation is mostly the byproduct of confidence in your fit for the job.

It also helps to remember that base salary is one line item. Bonus, equity, remote flexibility, learning budget, and title all have value. Framing your answer around "the full package" keeps you from fixating on one number and gives both sides room to trade.

One structural fix removes much of the pressure entirely: apply where the fit is already established. When an employer approaches you because your profile matches what they need, salary is a calibration, not a gamble. Jobs&Joy works this way. You complete one short assessment, around 10 to 15 minutes, plus your CV, and you are matched to roles by your skills, values, and goals; matched employers reach out to you, and when a fitting role is not advertised, Jobs&Joy contacts relevant companies directly. Being pursued rather than pleading is the strongest negotiating position there is, which is the whole point of getting employers to reach out to you.

The bottom line

The salary question is not a trap; it is a test of preparation. Research a real range for the role, deflect politely until you have information, and when you must commit, give a range that starts at your target and is anchored to your value. Never volunteer your current pay, and remember that in many places the number is already public or the employer is required to share it.

Do the homework once, keep the scripts handy, and the question that used to make you sweat becomes just another part of the conversation. And when the job finds you because it fits, the number tends to follow.