"What are your salary expectations?" turns up in two places: a required box on an online application, and a question from a recruiter on the first call. Both make people freeze. Say too much and you leave money on the table, or get screened out as too expensive. Say too little and you set your own ceiling before anyone has offered you anything. This guide covers how to answer the salary expectations question in both places, with wording you can copy.
Start with your numbers, not theirs
You can't answer well until you know three figures. Work them out once per type of role, not once per application.
- Your walk-away number. The lowest base salary you would accept for this kind of job, after rent, debt and the cost of switching. Keep this to yourself.
- Your target. What the role is worth at your level and location, based on posted ranges for similar jobs and what people in that role tell you.
- Your ask. Usually a range whose bottom sits at or a little above your target. If they meet the bottom of your range, you should be happy.
Posted ranges are the best free data you have. More employers now publish one, and in some places they have to. Collect ranges from ten or so postings with the same title and level in your area (or for remote roles open to your country). You'll see where most of them sit, and that middle is a fair anchor for your target.
On the Curri job board, the Pay filter helps with this. Turn on Only jobs that list a salary to see just the postings with a range, and set a Minimum salary per month or per year to hide jobs below your walk-away number. Salaries in other currencies are converted with daily exchange rates. Note that a minimum on its own still shows jobs that don't list a salary, so combine both settings when you're researching ranges.
How to answer salary expectations on an application form
Online forms are blunt. What you can do depends on the kind of field.
If the field is optional
Leave it blank. You lose nothing, and you keep the conversation for a call where you know more about the job.
If it's a free-text box
Write a range, or a range plus a line that keeps things open:
$95,000 to $110,000 base, open to discussing the full compensation package.
If you really have no idea what the role pays, "Negotiable, based on the full scope of the role" is acceptable, but a researched range usually reads as more confident.
If it's a required number field
You have to pick one figure. Use the number at the bottom of your ask range, not your walk-away number. Avoid typing 0 or 1 to dodge the question: some systems treat that as an invalid answer, and a person reading it may see it as evasive.
If the posting already lists a range
This is the case job seekers ask about most: the posting says "$63,709 to $84,900", so do you pick the top, the middle or the bottom?
- If the range covers your target, enter something between the middle and the upper third. It shows you read the posting and you're within budget, without signaling you'd accept the floor.
- If your target is above the top of the range, enter the top, then decide whether the job is worth it. Ranges do sometimes stretch for strong candidates, but don't count on it.
- If your walk-away number is above the top, skip the application. No answer fixes a budget that's too small.
Very rarely does entering the absolute minimum help. It mainly tells the employer what you'll settle for.
How to answer the question in an interview or recruiter call
On a call you have more room, and the best first move is to ask before you answer.
Step 1: Ask for their range
Before I give a number, could you share the range budgeted for this role? I want to make sure we're aligned.
Many recruiters will tell you. If the range works for you, you can simply say so: "That range works for me, depending on the full package."
Step 2: If they push, give your researched range
Don't refuse more than once. A recruiter who asks twice usually needs a figure for the hiring manager, and dodging a third time can cost you goodwill. Give your ask range with a short reason:
Based on similar roles at this level and what I bring in [your core skill], I'm looking at $95,000 to $110,000 base. I'm flexible depending on the bonus, benefits and remote setup.
That last sentence matters. It tells them base salary isn't the only lever, without lowering your number.
Step 3: Don't negotiate against yourself
After you give a range, stop talking. Don't add "but I could go lower" or explain your rent. If they say it's above budget, ask what the budget is and whether other parts of the package (title, start date, leave, review timing) have room.
If you're a new graduate
Fresh grads worry most about asking too much and losing an offer. In practice, a polite, researched range is rarely what makes an employer withdraw. If they ask after the final interview, that usually means they're preparing an offer. Use the same steps: ask for their range, then give a range based on entry-level postings for the same title, and ask for a few days to review the written offer before you accept.
If they ask what you earn now
That's a different question. You can answer it, or redirect to what you're looking for:
I'd rather focus on the value of this role. For this position, I'm targeting $95,000 to $110,000.
In some places employers aren't allowed to ask about current or past pay. Check the rules where you live.
Salary expectation answers that hurt you
- "Whatever you think is fair." It sounds polite, but it hands them the number.
- A single number with no flexibility. It invites a yes or no, not a conversation.
- A range that's too wide. "$60,000 to $110,000" tells them you don't know your value, and they'll hear $60,000.
- Personal reasons. "I need $X because of my rent" is about you, not the job. Anchor on the role and the market.
- A different number every round. Write down what you told each company and stick to it unless the job's scope changes.
Keep your numbers in one place
If you apply to many jobs, the hard part is staying consistent. A few habits help:
- Write your walk-away number, target and ask range somewhere you'll see them before every call.
- Note the range each posting listed, and what you entered or said, next to that application.
- Update your numbers when you learn something new, such as three postings in a row paying more than you expected.
In Curri, your profile has a Facts list under About, with suggested rows for Work authorization, Open to relocation, Notice period, Salary expectation and Languages. Adding your ask range there keeps it next to the rest of what you'll be asked on application forms. If you want to rehearse the conversation, the chat can also act as a career coach, and its guidance covers salary negotiation and compensation, including base, equity and benefits. To keep track of which range you gave to which company, see how to keep track of job applications.
The short answer
Know your walk-away number, your target and your ask range before anyone asks. On forms, leave optional fields blank, write a range in text boxes, and use the bottom of your ask range when a single number is required. On calls, ask for their range first, give yours once if they push, and then stop talking. If the posting's range is below your walk-away number, move on to the next one. You can start with jobs that list a salary on the job board, or read about applying when you don't meet every requirement for other ways to size up a posting before you apply.