How To Answer ‘What Are Your Salary Expectations?’ In A Job Interview

Money is an awkward subject. As strange as that is, given its significant role in our lives, talking about it doesn’t come naturally to most people. And when you throw in the added stress and tension of a job interview — particularly the virtual kind — it’s no wonder that we so often end up selling ourselves short on the salary front, accepting whatever comes our way just to avoid the awkwardness of discussing the hard figures. 

But these days, requests for salary expectations are almost unavoidable in your job search and it’s something you want to get right. So what do you do when you get to this dreaded part of the interview? We break down some tips below.

First, before you even get to the interview stage, do your research. Get some insight into the kind of salary you can expect from the role and then look at the company’s reputation. More often than not, if it’s a larger business, there will be intel available online to give you a ballpark range on whether they sit on the higher, lower or median range of salaries in your field. If you know that the average pay for your role is about $70k, but that the company is known for offering lucrative salary packages, you want to be asking for at least 10% higher.

You also want to be building your case for a good salary from the moment you start talking. Make sure to point out your experience and achievements throughout the interview — say for example, if you managed a team or led any successful projects, let the interviewee know. It's always a good idea to discuss how you've been pivotal in generating revenue in your previous roles, too.

As far as what to actually say, just be straightforward. So often, we're instructed on how to handle work matters as delicately as possible. But honestly, in this case, you don’t want to be wasting anyone’s time — least of all your own. Sometimes people will suggest for you to flip the question and ask instead for how much they're willing to budget for the role. But recruiters are looking for figures that they can work with, so vague answers don't help them.

Don’t skirt around the details or 'umm' and 'ahh' too much, or it could come off as you being uncertain and not confident in your worth. Go into the interview with the figure already in your mind so that it isn't conveyed as a question — we recommend going 10% above what you believe you can get, leaving some room for negotiation.

From there, a template response we recommend for answering is saying something like, "Based on my experience and specific skills in X, as well as what I know I could bring to this role, I would expect to earn $X."

If you're met with tense silence and you get the sense that you've dropped a figure that's a lot higher than they had budgeted for, it's not always a problem — if you're willing to negotiate. Try tacking on something that says you're open to other avenues, such as "However, because I'm so interested in this role and working for this company, I am willing to be flexible with the offer." And if the salary isn't quite up to scratch but the role is too good to give up, you might want to try negotiating other benefits like workplace flexibility, additional annual leave or even your hours.

If you’re super excited about the job and are confident that the pay will be reasonable, feel free to not bring it up in the first interview and wait until further down the process. Beyond that, you don’t want to be wasting your time, so don’t wait to find out what they're offering when the contract’s sent over. 

If it’s a job you're not sure about and would only want to proceed with the application if the salary was up to scratch, then don’t be afraid to ask. Maybe wait until the tail-end of the first meeting, though, just to get niceties out of the way.

Once everything else has been discussed, you might be offered an opportunity to ask any questions. Feel free to ask a 'buffer' question before, but it's perfectly fine to just come out and say something like "Before we proceed, may I inquire about the salary that's budgeted for this role?"

They know they can't offer much in way of salary but can offer Friday beers? Yeah, that's a no from us. Unless you're working in the NFP space, employers should not have to mask salary talk with a slideshow about their perks.

Don’t let someone make you feel uncomfortable about money. You’re there, putting in your time and labour, for a reason. Even if you're applying for a job you love that you'd do for less money, it's not a good sign when there's the underlying expectation that you would want to do the job regardless of the pay. It's not an instant deal-breaker but these are often the employers that also expect you to work well beyond your hours and pay grade. 

This is some pretty shady territory — and legally kind of grey. While we'd love to assume that all interviewees would only ever ask this for benign reasons, the reality is that you don't know how they will use this information, particularly if you are applying for more senior positions. Unless you see the reason why this would be appropriate, we recommend shrugging off the question and responding with what you're looking for, underscoring that it's commensurate with your experience. Remember, you have a right to ask about money and it's only fair that the company you want to work for should respect that.