Here’s what you'll learn:

How it can cost you thousands if you answer it wrong
How to answer it in right way
The exact script that I use - you can use it too
🎁 Bonus: How to answer it on online application form

Let’s talk about a tricky question.

What are your salary expectations?

Seems simple, right? But it’s not.

This question shows up early in most interviews. And how you answer can shape everything that comes next.

You’ve got three choices:

Say a number
Say a range
Deflect kindly

Let’s walk through them.

Say a Number (Seems Right But It’s Not)

Early on my career, I always gave a number:

I’m looking for $X per month.

It felt clear. I thought I was being honest. And once, it got me an offer within hours of the final interview.

But later… I found out something hard.

At that job, I was doing the same work as others:

Same level.
Same repo.
Same velocity.
Same responsibility.

But they got paid more than me. A lot more.

I wasn’t angry. Not really. But I felt like I messed up. I had accidentally sold myself short.

I traced it back to that one moment. When I told the recruiter my number. So yes, I got the number I asked for but not the number I truly deserved.

Let’s say you’re interviewing for a Senior Software Engineering position. Answer with a number to find out what can happen:

🎮

Playground: Answer with a number

Recruiter: What are your salary expectations?

Your Answer:

$65K$80K$90K

💡

Lesson learned: Don’t give a number first.

Here’s what can happen if you do:

Ask too much? They skip you.
Ask too little? They lowball you.
Ask “just right”? You lost your leverage.

Say a Range (Still Risky)

Some people say,

Okay then, I’ll give a range!

Sounds better, right? Not really.

To give a really good range, you need to:

Know the market well
Find out market rate for this exact role
Guess their budget (yikes)

Even if you nail all that, here’s the problem:

They hear the low end of a range. Always!

For example, you say:

I’m looking for $100K to $120K.

They hear:

$100K sounds doable!

See the issue? You showed your hand before they even saw your value.

They now know you’re flexible (maybe too flexible).

💡

Lesson learned: Don't give a range.

You’ll never know the range they are willing to pay.

Wild guess will make you look too flexible. And they will always offer the low end of the range.

Deflect Kindly (Best Option)

So… what do you do instead?

Here’s the real move: don’t answer directly.

Not with a number. Not with a range. Instead, guide the talk. Ask them for the range.

Here’s the script I use:

✓

Practice: Use this script to deflect kindly

There are many things that affect what salary feels right to me. For example,

the team - I’ll work with
the project - I’ll be working on
the tech stack - I’ll be using
the impact - I’ll have on the company

I want to give a thoughtful answer, not an uneducated one. I also know this is a crucial question for you to know before we can move forward. If you share the salary range for this role, I can tell you if that fits what I’m looking for.

See what that does?

It puts the question back on them.
It shows you’re thoughtful not unsure.
It buys you time to prove your worth.

Tip: Practice makes it more natural.

At first, I felt awkward saying it. You probably will too. That’s normal.

But once you practice, it gets easy, natural and powerful.

Just know, sometimes they won’t give a range immediately. That’s okay. It’s all part of the game. The key is to try to get the range.

💡

Lesson learned: Don’t name your price before they know your value.

Let them see what you bring before money comes up. They don’t know yet:

Your big wins
Your leadership style
What bugs you fixed at 2 AM
What projects you carried over the finish line

🎁 Bonus: How to answer it on online application form

Let’s talk about that sneaky little box. It shows up on job forms, way before you talk with the recruiter.

So, what do you do? Here are a few tricks.

Trick 1: Leave It Blank (If You Can)

Some forms let you skip it. If that’s the case? Just skip it. Easy win.

Trick 2: Use Words (If They Let You)

Sometimes the box lets you type letters not just numbers.

If so? Try one of these:

Negotiable
Open to discussion
To be discussed

True story

I once was applying to a job. On the form, it was no clear whether they’re asking for monthly or yearly salary expectation.

I wrote “Monthly or yearly?”. Still called for the interview.

Fun fact: I got the offer as well.

Trick 3: Use a Range (Wide One)

If it must be a number, and it allows a range?

Use a broad one.

Why ? Because you don’t want to anchor too low.

I know what you’re thinking… I said not to give a number or a range upfront.

But this is different.

Sometimes, to even get the interview, you have to fill the box. So here’s the key:

Don’t stress too much. Just treat it as a door-opener, not a real negotiation.

Then, when you’re in the interview, you can say:

I only filled that to complete the form. I’d love to understand the role more before I talk salary.

That’s honest. It works.

Tip: Save your responses.

If you use different responses for different forms, save your responses.

That way, if you need to revisit what you submitted you’ve got it.

💡

Lesson learned: Fill it just to get the interview.

Fill it how you feel confident about.

Once you get the interview, they will ask this question again. If so, just tell them you filled it to pass the form.

Bring the conversation back to them. Try to get the compensation range for the role.

TL;DR

Don’t give a number too early. You’ll anchor low or scare them off.

Ranges are better than nothing but still risky.

The best move? Deflect kindly. Learn the compensation range for the role.

When forced to enter a response on online form? Skip it, put words or make it broad.

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