A recruiter asks for your salary expectations early in the process, before you know much about the role. How do you handle that?
culture-fit · Mid level · general
What the interviewer is really asking
Assesses whether the candidate handles the early 'what's your number' screen with composure and research — giving a grounded range or a reasonable deferral without either anchoring themselves low or stonewalling the recruiter who needs a fit check.
What to say
- Give a researched range for the role, level, and location rather than a single point or a flat refusal, so the recruiter can do a real fit check.
- Where it's natural, ask what band the role is budgeted for first, framing it as making sure you're not wasting each other's time.
- Tie any number to evidence — market data and the scope you'd own — so it reads as grounded, not plucked from the air or copied from your current pay.
What to avoid
- Blurting your current salary or a single fixed figure that anchors you before you understand the role.
- Stonewalling the recruiter entirely ('I'd rather not say'), which can stall the conversation or read as difficult.
- Naming a range so wide it's meaningless, signalling you haven't actually done the research.
Example answers
Strong: I'd say something like: based on the market for this level and location I'm targeting roughly X to Y, but I'd love to hear the band you've budgeted so we can check we're aligned before going deep. I keep it a range, not a single number, because I don't know the full scope yet. I deliberately don't lead with my current salary — I anchor on the role's market value and what I'd own, which I can back with a couple of salary sources.
Weak: I usually just tell them what I make now and say I'm looking for a bit more than that, to keep it simple.