How Should I Answer the Question: “What’s Your Desired Salary?”

The simple answer is to know your worth. Go into the interview armed with average salary ranges for the specific position, including the industry and geographic location. You can research this on sites like Payscale.com or Salary.com, but anecdotal evidence from senior leaders or HR professionals in your field doesn’t hurt either. Especially if you have solid experience, ask for the top of the commonly accepted range and expect to negotiate down a bit. And, don’t forget to take into account benefits, bonuses, stock options, vacation, and other perks as part of the total compensation package. Remember, the key is to get the most money possible up front, because once you are inside a company, increases may be few and far between.

A few additional pointers for salary negotiations: Let the employer bring up the topic of money first, and if asked about your desired salary early in the process, turn the question back to them as in “How much have you budgeted for the position?” If you must reveal what you’re currently making, inflate the number slightly to account for factors like a pending raise. You should never lie outright about your salary, though, as this can come back to bite you.

Throughout the interview process, concentrate on selling yourself and your value so that by the end, they hopefully want to pay you whatever it takes. And what if this doesn’t happen? Prepare for objections to your request for more money, including (1) you don’t have enough experience, (2) other employees at your level aren’t making that much, (3) the budget won’t permit it, and (4) that’s what they are paying new hires. Think about how you would respond to these objections in a way that continues the discussion on a positive note. Prepare to phrase your comments in the form of questions, keeping in mind that the end goal is to reach an agreement with which both parties are happy.

For example, you might say, “I’m really excited about this position and I think I’m a great fit for the company, but I don’t think I could afford to take less than my minimum of $70,000. I have several other opportunities that are in my range, but I’d really prefer to work for you. Is there any way we could work this out?”

Occasionally you might find that great career moves come with a lower price tag. You might be wise to accept an offer that is less money initially, yet pays greater dividends in terms of growth and experience.

Alexandra Levit is the author of the international bestseller, They Don't Teach Corporate in College, published in a brand new 4th edition in September 2019.