How to Answer the Salary Expectations Question in Interviews
Why This Question Is Asked
The salary expectations question shows up in 80 percent of first interviews. Recruiters ask it for three reasons. First, to filter out candidates who are above or below the budgeted band before more interview time is invested. Second, to anchor the eventual offer to a number you provide. Third, to test how prepared you are.
Most candidates botch the answer. They either name a number that is too low (and accept it for the rest of the process), name a number that is too high (and get screened out), or refuse to engage in a way that comes across as evasive. The right answer is none of those.
This guide gives you the exact playbook based on where you are in the interview process, what you know, and what the company has shared.
The Three Versions of the Question
The question rarely comes phrased the same way. Recognize the variants.
"What are your salary expectations for this role?" The most direct version. Asked when the recruiter wants to confirm budget alignment.
"What is your current salary?" Illegal to ask in some jurisdictions but still common elsewhere. Even where legal, you do not have to answer with a specific number.
"What kind of compensation are you looking for?" Softer version. Often used by hiring managers in the early conversation, not just recruiters.
The answer pattern is similar for all three but the tone shifts.
What to Do Before the Interview
The wrong moment to figure out your number is when the recruiter asks. The right moment is two days before.
Prep checklist:
Research the market range. Use Levels.fyi for tech, RepVue for sales, Glassdoor and Payscale for general roles, and LinkedIn salary data for verification. Find 3 data points for the role at the company level (early stage, growth stage, public). For deeper research, see how to research salary before a negotiation and salary negotiation scripts after a job offer.
Check the posted band if available. Several states (CA, CO, NY, WA, IL, MD, MN, NV among others) require employers to post salary ranges. If you see the band, you have your answer.
Define your range. Set three numbers: your bottom (the lowest you would accept), your target (the realistic mid-band ask), and your stretch (the top you would aim for if the company is competing for talent). For most roles, the stretch is 15 to 25 percent above your bottom.
Decide your number relative to your current. Most candidates target a 10 to 20 percent increase over current base salary when changing jobs in 2026. Higher for level jumps. Lower if you are pivoting.
When the Recruiter Has Shared a Range
If the recruiter or job listing shows a band, the answer is simple. Confirm you are in the band. Do not anchor below the top of the band.
Script: "Based on the band you shared, I am aligned. I am targeting the upper third given my experience and the scope of the role. Specifically, I am looking at the [number that is 75 to 90 percent up the band] area for base, with the rest of the package competitive."
If the band is $140K to $180K, the right anchor is $170K to $175K, not $160K. Bands exist because the company is willing to pay the top number for the right candidate. The recruiter expects you to ask near the top if you are senior or qualified.
When the Recruiter Has Not Shared a Range
The most common scenario. The recruiter is asking you first. Here is the answer that works:
Script: "I want to make sure I give you a useful number. Before I share mine, can you confirm the band the role is budgeted at? That will help me anchor."
This is the polite reverse of the question. About 30 to 40 percent of recruiters will share the band when asked directly. The other 60 to 70 percent will push back.
If they push back, do not stonewall. That kills the rapport. Give a number. Use this version:
Script: "Based on my research and the scope I have heard so far, I am targeting [number] base, with the rest of the package competitive. I want to add that I am flexible on the exact mix depending on equity, signing, and the seniority of the role as we get more aligned. I would be happy to revisit once I learn more about the band and scope."
Three things this answer does. It gives a real number. It signals flexibility. It opens the door to revisit once you have more information.
Choosing Your Number
The number you state should be at the top end of your range, not the middle, and not the bottom. Recruiters anchor down from the number you give. If you say $170K, they will assume $160K is acceptable. If you say $185K, they will land at $175K.
Formula:
Bottom (lowest you would accept): X.
Target (realistic ask): X + 15 percent.
Stretch (top of band, if you have strong leverage): X + 25 percent.
State your Stretch in the first conversation. Adjust later if the band data does not support it.
If your bottom is $130K, your target is $150K, and your stretch is $160K. State $160K. Negotiate from there.
What to Do About the "Current Salary" Question
If asked your current salary, you have options.
In states where the question is illegal (CA, NY, WA, MA, CO, IL, and several others), the answer is: "In our state, employers do not ask current salary. What I can share is what I am targeting for my next role." Then give your number.
In states where the question is legal, the cleanest answer is: "I prefer to focus on the value of this role rather than my current compensation. I am targeting [your number] based on the scope of this role and the market."
If pressed for a specific number, you can share a directional answer ("My total compensation last year was in the $X range") but do not feel obligated. Most recruiters drop the question when redirected twice.
What to Do When You Are Underpaid
A common worry. You are underpaid relative to market by 20 to 30 percent. You do not want to anchor your next role to a salary that is already too low.
The answer: do not anchor to your current. Anchor to the market for the role you are targeting. If you currently earn $90K and the market for the role is $130K to $150K, your target is $140K, regardless of your current.
Recruiters and hiring managers know that underpaid candidates exist. A 20 to 30 percent jump on a new role is normal. A 40 to 50 percent jump requires more justification, usually a level change.
What to Do When You Are Overpaid
The opposite problem. You are overpaid relative to market and you know your number is above the band for many target roles.
Be transparent. "My current total comp is at $X, which I know is above the typical band for this role. I am open to taking a step in base for the right opportunity, especially if the equity and scope are strong. Help me understand the package shape and I will tell you whether the math works for me."
This works because it signals self-awareness and removes the recruiter's fear that you will negotiate up endlessly.
What Not to Say
"I am flexible on salary." Reads as you have no number, no research, no leverage.
"Whatever you are offering for the role." Reads as desperate or unprepared.
"My current salary is $X plus bonus plus equity plus benefits worth $Y total." Too much detail. Pick one number, the one you want to negotiate around.
"I will not share a number until I see the offer." Reads as evasive. Most recruiters will move on to the next candidate.
A number 50 percent above the role's band. You will be screened out. Verify the band before you anchor high.
What to Do After You Answer
Once you have given a number, the conversation should move forward, not stall on comp. Pivot the recruiter's attention back to the role.
Script: "I gave you a number to keep the process moving. I am most interested in whether the role and team are a fit. Can we walk through the scope in more detail?"
That move tells the recruiter you are negotiating in good faith but you are not solely transactional, and it gets the conversation back to where rapport is built.
The Salary Conversation Cheat Sheet
If the band is posted: Anchor in the top third.
If asked first: Reverse the question. Ask for the band.
If they refuse to share: Give your Stretch number, signal flexibility.
If asked your current: Redirect to market for the target role.
If you are underpaid: Anchor to market, not current.
If you are overpaid: Acknowledge it, open the door to other comp levers.
Always: Pivot back to the role and team after you answer.
Where Avery Comes In
The candidates who get the strongest offers usually negotiate from a position of leverage they built before the interview. The leverage starts with a LinkedIn profile that signals senior, specialized, and in-demand. Recruiters offer their top of band to candidates who feel scarce.
Run an Avery audit to see how your profile reads to a recruiter pricing your role, and to fix the language that may be anchoring you to the middle of the band when you should be anchored to the top.