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Compensation questionFor job seekers20-30 seconds — this is a short answer on purpose

How to Answer "What Are Your Salary Expectations?"

The short answer

Early on, deflect politely and ask for their budgeted range. If pressed, give a researched range rather than a single number, anchor your target near the bottom of it, and tie it to market data for the role and location. Never give your current salary as the answer.

The first person to name a number usually loses a little ground. Here is how to deflect without sounding evasive, and what to say when deflecting stops working.

Or skip ahead and have your answer scored — free, no account needed.

Why interviewers ask “What are your salary expectations?”

Recruiters ask this early to filter out candidates they cannot afford, and to establish an anchor before you have had a chance to prove your value. Both motives are reasonable, and neither is on your side. Your goal is not to refuse the question — that reads as difficult — but to delay the number until you have information, and to make sure whatever number lands is one you chose deliberately.

What they are actually listening for

  • Are you inside our budget? This is the main filter, and it is often the only reason the question is asked.
  • Have you done any research, or are you guessing?
  • How do you behave in a negotiation? This is the first live sample they get.
  • Are you anchored to your current salary, which may be well below market?
  • Will this be a difficult conversation later?

The structure to use: Deflect - Ask - Range

Treat this as a sequence, not a single answer. You escalate only as far as you are pushed. Most conversations stop at step two, and the wording matters more here than almost anywhere else in an interview, because a clumsy deflection sounds like a refusal.

  1. Deflect once, warmly

    ~10 seconds

    Say you are flexible, that you want to understand the role first, and ask what range they have budgeted.

    The exact wording carries a lot of weight. "I would rather understand the scope properly before putting a number on it — do you have a range budgeted for this role?" is friendly, gives a reason, and ends with a question, which moves the turn back to them. Companies almost always have a band, and in many places they are now required to publish it.

  2. If they give a range, respond to it

    ~15 seconds

    Say whether it works, and if you want the top of it, say why in terms of what you bring.

    If the range is fine, say so plainly and move on: "That works for me, and I would expect to land in the upper half given the on-call and the platform ownership." If it is genuinely too low, say that kindly and early rather than wasting both sides four rounds of interviews.

  3. If pressed, give a researched range

    ~20 seconds

    Offer a band of roughly 15 to 20 per cent, position your target near the bottom of it, and attach it to market data for the role, level, and location.

    A range signals reasonableness while protecting you, because the number they hear first is the bottom. Make the bottom a number you would genuinely accept — you will not get more than it. Sources worth naming: Levels.fyi for tech compensation, Glassdoor and Payscale for broader roles, published salary bands in job ads for the same level in your city, and what recruiters have quoted you recently.

  4. Say what you are counting

    ~5 seconds

    Make clear whether your number is base only or total compensation, especially where equity or bonus is a large share.

    Mismatched definitions cause most late-stage compensation surprises. One clause fixes it: "That is base — I am treating equity and bonus separately." It also makes you sound like someone who has done this before.

Example answers to “What are your salary expectations?”

These are written to be spoken, not read. Do not memorise them — take the shape and put your own experience through it.

Example 1

Any role — first recruiter call

The deflection, which is where most conversations should end

I am fairly flexible at this stage, and honestly I would rather understand the scope of the role before putting a number on it — the level and the on-call expectations make quite a difference. Do you have a range budgeted for this position?

Why it works

  • Gives a reason for deflecting, so it reads as thoughtful rather than evasive.
  • Ends with a direct question, which hands the turn back and usually gets you their band.
  • Signals flexibility without conceding anything.
  • Takes about ten seconds, so it does not feel like a manoeuvre.

Example 2

Software engineer, 6 years experience

The recruiter pushed a second time and wants a number

Sure. Based on what I am seeing for senior backend roles in London at similar-stage companies, I am looking at somewhere between ninety-five and a hundred and fifteen thousand base, and I would expect the exact figure to depend on the level and the on-call load.

That is base — I am treating equity and bonus separately. If the role turns out to be broader than the description suggests, I am happy to revisit.

Why it works

  • The range is about 20 per cent wide, which is credible without being vague.
  • It is attached to market data and location rather than to the candidate's current salary.
  • The base-versus-total clause prevents the classic late-stage misunderstanding.
  • The last sentence keeps the door open in both directions.

Example 3

Any role — when the posted range is too low

Being direct early instead of hoping it changes

Thanks for being upfront about that. I should be straight with you too: that range sits a bit below where I have been targeting, which is closer to the mid-eighties.

I do not want to waste your time if the band is fixed. If there is flexibility for someone who has already run this kind of migration, I would be very interested in continuing.

Why it works

  • Respects the recruiter's time, which recruiters remember.
  • States a number without hostility and without pretending the gap does not exist.
  • Attaches the ask to a specific reason they might pay more.
  • Leaves the decision with them rather than issuing an ultimatum.

Common mistakes (and the fix)

Giving your current salary as the answer

It anchors your offer to your past employer rather than to the market, which is how people who were underpaid stay underpaid. In several US states and in the UK for many employers, asking for salary history is restricted or discouraged, so you are often within your rights to skip it.

Fix: Answer with what you are looking for, not what you currently earn: "I am targeting X for this kind of role."

Naming a single number early

A single number becomes a ceiling. Once said, negotiating upward requires a reason that did not exist five minutes ago.

Fix: Give a range, and make its bottom a number you would genuinely accept.

Refusing to engage at all

Repeated deflection past the second ask reads as difficult, and recruiters who cannot place you in a band sometimes just move on.

Fix: Deflect once, at most twice, then give a researched range. The goal is to be second to name a number, not to never name one.

Making the range too wide

A forty per cent spread tells the interviewer you have not researched the role, and they will hear the bottom of it as your real number.

Fix: Keep it to roughly 15 to 20 per cent, and be ready to explain what would put you at the top of it.

Apologising for your number

Hedging ("I know that might be a lot, but...") invites a counter before they have even reacted, and undercuts the research you just did.

Fix: State the range, give the one-line reason, then stop talking. Silence is fine here.

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Say your answer out loud. Get it scored.

Reading about the structure is not the same as saying it. Answer “What are your salary expectations?” the way you would in the room, and get a score plus three specific fixes. Aim for 20-30 seconds — this is a short answer on purpose.

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Practise the other nineteen questions too

“What are your salary expectations?” is one question. Paste the actual job posting and your CV and prepare.fyi generates the twenty questions that company is most likely to ask, then lets you answer them out loud — with a live AI interviewer and a scored breakdown of every answer.

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“What are your salary expectations?”: frequently asked questions

Do I have to answer if they ask what I currently earn?
In many US states and cities, employers are barred from asking for salary history, and in the UK it is increasingly discouraged though not banned outright. Wherever you are, you can redirect without confrontation: "I would rather focus on what the role is worth — I am targeting X." Most recruiters accept that immediately.
What if they insist on a number before the first interview?
Give the range. A recruiter who needs a number before booking time is usually doing a genuine budget check, and stonewalling costs you the interview. Make the bottom of your range a figure you would accept, and add that it depends on the level and the full package.
How do I find out what the role actually pays?
For tech roles, Levels.fyi is the most reliable public source and breaks down base, equity, and bonus by level. Beyond that: Glassdoor and Payscale for broader roles, published bands in job ads for the same title in your city, salary threads in professional communities, and recruiters — they will often tell you the band if you ask directly.
Should I give a range or a single number?
A range, in almost every case. It signals you are reasonable to work with while protecting your position, and it gives the employer somewhere to land. The exception is a late-stage negotiation where you already have a competing offer, when a specific number is clearer and stronger.
What if my expectations are far above their budget?
Say so early and warmly. Finding out at offer stage wastes weeks for both of you. Occasionally a company will stretch for a candidate who has already interviewed well, so it can be worth continuing if you would accept a compromise — but be honest with yourself about whether you would.

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