“What are your salary expectations?” arrives early, usually from a recruiter in the first fifteen minutes, and it is the single highest-leverage sentence in the whole process. Whatever number exists in the conversation after this point tends to anchor everything that follows.
The standard advice — “never give a number first” — is not wrong so much as impractical. Many application forms will not submit without a figure. Many recruiters are instructed not to progress candidates who will not answer. Refusing outright often costs you the process rather than winning you the negotiation.
What works is having a researched range, a stated basis for it, and a deflection you use once before answering.
The approach
- Research first — you cannot answer this well without a number in mind
- Deflect once, politely, and ask for their budgeted range
- If pressed, give a range whose bottom you would genuinely accept
- Attach a basis so the number reads as researched, not aspirational
Why they ask
Usually not to lowball you. The recruiter’s actual job is to avoid running a candidate through four rounds of interviews and discovering at offer stage that everyone has wasted a month. They have a band, and they are checking whether you fit inside it.
That reframing matters, because it means a straight answer is often in your interest. If the role pays $70–85k and you need $110k, both of you want to know now.
Research: do this before any conversation
You cannot answer well without knowing what the role pays. Use several sources, because each is biased in a known direction.
- Posted ranges. Increasingly available — pay transparency laws in several US states, and in the EU from 2026, require ranges in advertisements. Search the same job title in a jurisdiction with mandatory disclosure even if your role is elsewhere; it gives you a real anchor.
- Aggregators — Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, Payscale, LinkedIn Salary, national statistics offices. Self-reported data skews upward at the top end and is often stale, so treat these as a shape rather than a figure.
- Official statistics. The ONS in the UK, the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the US, and equivalent national bodies publish median pay by occupation and region. Less granular, much more reliable.
- Recruiters. Agency recruiters in your field know current market rates better than any website, and will usually tell you if you ask directly.
- People doing the job. The most accurate source. Asking a peer “what range would you expect for this role?” is easier than asking what they earn, and gets you most of the value.
Adjust for the things that move the number
Location and cost of living, company size and funding stage, sector, whether the role is remote and whether pay is location-adjusted, and your specific years and specialism. A title means different things at a 40-person company and a multinational.
Then set three numbers
| Number | Definition |
|---|---|
| Walk-away | Below this you decline. Never stated aloud. |
| Target | A realistic good outcome, supported by your research. |
| Ask | Somewhat above target. The top of the range you state. |
Your stated range runs from slightly above your walk-away to your ask. The critical rule: you must be genuinely willing to accept the bottom of any range you state, because that is the number they will hear.
The deflection
Try once to get their number first. Once — not repeatedly, which becomes evasive.
“I want to make sure the level is right before I anchor on a figure. Do you have a budgeted range for the role? I am happy to say whether it works.”
Recruiters frequently answer this, particularly at agencies. If they do, you have the anchor and can respond to it rather than setting one.
If they push back — “I do need a figure from you first” — answer. One deflection is professional; two is friction.
Giving the number
The standard answer
“Based on what I have seen for operations roles at this scale in the North West, I am looking at somewhere between £52,000 and £60,000, depending on the rest of the package. If the scope is broader than the posting suggests, I am open to discussing that.”
Four things are happening. The range is stated. A basis is given, so it reads as research rather than a wish. The package is mentioned, keeping non-salary elements in play. And the door is left open for scope to move the number.
When you have no idea what the role pays
“Honestly, the range for this varies a lot depending on the scope, and I would rather not guess. What has the role been budgeted at? If it is in the region I am expecting, I doubt it will be an issue.”
When your current salary is well below market
This is the situation the question damages most. Anchor on the market and on the role, never on your history.
“My current salary is not a good guide — I have been at the same company for four years and it is below where the market has moved. For this role I am looking at £52,000 to £60,000, which is what I have seen comparable positions advertised at.”
When asked for your current salary specifically
Note first that in many US states — California, New York, Colorado, Washington, Massachusetts and others — asking for salary history is unlawful. Similar restrictions exist elsewhere.
You are not obliged to disclose it anywhere. Redirect to expectations:
“I would rather focus on the value of this role than what I am on now — they are quite different jobs. For this position I am targeting £52,000 to £60,000.”
Said once, pleasantly, this almost always ends the line of questioning.
When the application form demands a single number
If the field takes text, enter “Negotiable” or a range. If it requires a number, enter your target, not your walk-away, and address it in the first conversation. Entering £1 or 0 to game the form reads as evasive and sometimes breaks their filtering.
Never state a range whose bottom you would refuse. If you say “£50,000 to £60,000,” the offer will be £50,000 or close to it. Set the bottom at the lowest number you would genuinely sign for, and put your target near the middle.
The whole package
Base salary is one component. Depending on the role and country, the rest can be worth a great deal:
- Bonus — and whether it is discretionary or contractual, and what it has actually paid the last two years
- Equity — vesting schedule, cliff, strike price, and what the last funding round valued the company at
- Pension or retirement contributions — the employer percentage varies enormously and compounds
- Health cover — in the US this is a major cash-equivalent difference; elsewhere usually smaller
- Annual leave above statutory minimum
- Remote or hybrid working — commuting cost and time, valued honestly
- Training budget, professional fees, notice period, sick pay
Where base is capped by a rigid band, these are frequently where movement is available. Ask what is flexible.
When they give a range first
If they open with “the role is budgeted at £48,000 to £58,000,” do not simply accept the midpoint as your destiny.
“That works. Given the supplier renegotiation experience, which the posting lists and which is not always part of an operations role, I would be looking toward the upper end of that.”
Positioning yourself at the top of their stated range, with a reason, is normal and expected. The range exists because they expect to pay different amounts to different candidates.
Common mistakes
- Answering without research. The most expensive error available. Fifteen minutes of research is worth thousands.
- Giving a range that is too wide. “£45,000 to £75,000” means £45,000 and signals you have no idea what you are worth. Keep the spread to about 15–20%.
- Justifying with personal need. Your rent and childcare costs are real and are not an argument. The argument is market rate and what you bring.
- Apologising. No hedging, no “I hope that’s not too much.” State the range and stop talking.
- Negotiating before the offer. Your leverage is at its maximum after they have decided they want you. Early conversations are about establishing fit, not about winning.
- Treating the first number as final. This conversation sets the range. The negotiation happens at offer.
Scripts by scenario
“Before I give a number — is there a budgeted range for the role? I would rather check we are in the same territory than guess.”
If they answer: “That works for me. Based on my experience with the supplier side I would be aiming toward the top of it, but we are in the right area.”
If they insist you go first: “Understood. I am looking at £52,000 to £60,000 based on comparable operations roles in the region, and I am flexible depending on the rest of the package.”
“I would rather anchor on this role than on my current one — the scope is quite different, and my current salary reflects four years at one employer rather than the current market. For this position I am targeting £52,000 to £60,000.”
“Thank you for being upfront — that is genuinely useful. That sits below where I can move for, which is around £52,000. If the budget has any flexibility I would be glad to keep talking, and if not I completely understand, and I would be happy to stay in touch for future roles.”
Common questions
Should I ever refuse to give a number?
You can decline once and ask for theirs. Refusing outright, repeatedly, gets you screened out at many companies. The realistic goal is not to avoid the question but to answer it from a researched position.
What if I name a number and later find out the role paid much more?
You can revise upward at offer stage if the scope turns out to be larger than described: “Having gone through the process, the role is broader than I understood — it includes the supplier side, which we did not discuss initially. That moves my expectation to…” Revising without a reason damages your credibility.
Do I include bonus in the number I state?
State base salary and mention the package separately. Mixing them creates confusion about what has actually been agreed, and base is what pension, raises, and future offers are calculated from.
Is it different for contract or freelance work?
Yes. Quote a day or hourly rate, and account for what you are covering yourself — no holiday pay, no sick pay, no pension contribution, no notice period, plus your own tax and insurance. A rough rule is that a contract rate needs to be substantially above the pro-rata salary equivalent to be comparable.
Should I mention a competing offer?
Only if it is real, and only at offer stage. It is a legitimate and effective piece of information at that point. Inventing one is a serious risk — if they call your bluff and you accept anyway, you have taught them your stated position means nothing.
