Whenever a recruiter asks for my salary expectations early on, I still find it hard to answer without underselling myself. I’ve tried deflecting and also giving a range — both feel risky. How do you handle that question when it comes up right away?

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I always ask what the range is for the role. I then tell them whether or not my expectations fit in the range. I try not to give them a number so I don't lose any negotiating power.

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Always ask for their range. I do try to know what they pay before I go to the interview.

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I think researching how much people are paid in specific roles can help at least give you a good idea about what’s appropriate to ask for, after that it doesn’t hurt to give a realistic range but I think they’ll always pay you the bottom of that range.

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Great point about the bottom of ranges. Definitely something good to keep in mind, thank you!

I do what S1 does, I ask them for a range. That way I'm not selling myself short, or pricing myself out of the position. If they refuse to tell me, I will just say it's negotiable.

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Going to do this from now on!

Do market survey if you can however. If you are living below your current salary its all a mind game. I get wanting to maximize but if youre off a little it will not hurt. This assumes you aren't grossly underpaid. I tend to look at the next job pay semi annually just to make sure im prepared.

Check glassdoor and Indeed, some will put it in the jd. Good luck.

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Great point thank you!

Often this is asked on the application, and you cannot submit it unless you put in a number. So, when you are given a salary range (sometimes a huge range), I tell them the average. For example, if they say the job is $75,000-$125,000, I will say $100,000. If I don't have a range or it's a huge range, like $100,000-$300,000, I will put $1.00. It is pretty obvious I am missing a few zeros by accident...or was it? I can then be able to submit it without giving my negotiating power away.

If the recruiter is talking to you about a specific role, then I would try to find out what the salary range for that role is.

If they don't have a specific role yet, but are expecting something to be coming soon, I usually throw out something around 10-20% above what I am making currently. And depending on the actual role and job description, that number can go up or down.

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