Instead, you can try to flip the script, increasing the odds that the first number entering the discussion comes from the hiring manager. With this response, you’re creating an opportunity to learn more about the position while coming across as cooperative without underselling yourself. Its tone is confident but prevents you from having to give a hard number, and that can work to potentially delay the salary negotiation part of the equation. If you only do one thing to get ready for the “What are your salary expectations? Head to salary-tracking websites like Salary.com, Payscale, and Glassdoor to find out what the going rate for that job is in your area.
- If you do change their thinking from “minimum number” to “biggest number necessary”, they may forget that you told them your current salary and focus on making a compelling offer instead.
- I’ve been talking about the salary expectations question for years now.
- And by giving any numbers at all, you’re “voicing the value you bring to the table,” Crawford says.
- You can also deepen your research by investigating “compensation trends” or “industry pay” to get a better idea of what your skill set is worth.
- If their offer is lower than expected, ask about other benefits or future salary reviews.
- Also, it’s important to remember that this article is focused on how to answer the salary expectation interview question (usually asked at the beginning of the hiring process).
Take into account other monetary or lifestyle benefits
So instead of relying on others to assess what’s fair for the value you’d bring, or leaving it up to them to tell you what’s a competitive market salary, do your homework before the interview. But before you start setting any firm boundaries, keep this in mind — hiring managers tend to aim for the lower end of the scale once you’ve revealed your preferred salary range. So, if you have an ideal number in mind, make sure it sits towards the bottom of your limit. An HR generalist, or trainee recruiter, can hardly offer you more money–they are not authorized to make such an offer.
- Funny that these people “don’t want to dance around the topic” of salary expectations, yet that’s exactly what they’re doing.
- The amount they offer will likely depend on their top candidate’s experience and skill set.
- Based on the response you get, you’ll know immediately if you’re in the employer’s salary ballpark or if some negotiating is needed.
- Providing a salary range instead of a specific number is a great strategy for the early stages of the interview process, because you won’t back yourself into a corner from the get go.
- Unless you are okay with potentially taking a salary near that lower end, you may not want to use this approach.
- It’s a way for them to gauge if you both agree about compensation, as well as whether the company could actually afford you at all.
Mistakes to Avoid
Chances are, things will only get more difficult after they hire you. This answer demonstrates that you want to contribute to the company by taking on additional responsibilities and that you want to be well compensated for those contributions. These questions are important because they help you to discover more about the company’s culture and whether you actually want to work there.
What If You Get Fired From Your Job (5 Stages to Job Recovery)
By doing this, you can gain a better understanding of whether you like the prospective job, team, hiring manager, and the company before deciding if it’s the right opportunity for you. The fact that how to answer what are your salary expectations you might not have years of industry experience doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t provide incredible value to a company. Here are some best answers you could consider when asked about your compensation expectations in a job interview. Without researching similar roles’ market value, you might misjudge your worth, resulting in unrealistic salary expectations. Compensation expectations are the amount of money and benefits a candidate expects for a specific role, including salary, bonuses, health insurance, and perks.
Why Do Companies Ask: “What Are Your Salary Expectations?”
That way, if the hiring manager has doubts about what you share, you can back up your expectations with cold, hard facts. A lack of confidence when answering also doesn’t work in your favor. Any uncertainty on your part may make the hiring manager question whether your position is reasonable and may lead them to wonder if you have doubts about your capabilities. If you come in with a number that’s far above the going rate for the skills required in the role, the hiring manager isn’t going to counter; they’ll just move onto the next candidate. Plus, the hiring manager is probably hoping – at least a little bit – that you’re going to offer up a number that’s lower than what they were willing to pay.
Example Answer for a Career Change
That way, if you do provide an answer, it’s an informed one. As we’ve shown before, the “what are your salary expectations” question can be waiting around any corner of the job interview process. But every situation is unique and almost impossible to predict to the smallest of details. Your prep time for the “what are your salary expectations” question may be longer than you think. Sure, you could always just say any random number and cross your fingers. But that would be a pointless waste of an opportunity to increase your chances of receiving the job offer.
What to say when recruiters ask for your salary expectations to save time
How you approach this interview question might be an indicator of how you approach problems at work — so be resourceful and strategic when answering. If you have room to be confident, then give them a higher number. On the other hand, if you really want to work there and don’t want to price yourself out of the running, a range is better, and you can negotiate from there. If you want to see how to handle the salary negotiation (final steps of the hiring process), we have a full lesson on this. For example, if you want to receive somewhere between $80,000 and $95,000, you can give a range of $85,000 — $100,000.
