# How to answer “what are your salary expectations?” (with examples) Source: https://glide.work/guides/how-to-answer-what-are-your-salary-expectations Published: 2026-11-15 Updated: 2026-11-15 [Guides](https://glide.work/guides) # How to answer “what are your salary expectations?” (with examples) By [Shubhankar Kahali](https://glide.work/company) Reviewed 15 November 2026 5 min read The short answer Answer “what are your salary expectations?” with a range anchored in market data for your role, city and experience, with the bottom of the range at a figure you would be happy to accept. If it comes up early, you can ask the range for the role first. Never anchor on your current pay, and do not name a number before you know the market. The question feels like a trap with two bad answers: too high and you are out, too low and you have given money away. It is neither. The employer already has a budget in mind and wants to know whether you fit it. Your task is to answer with information, not nerves, and the information comes from knowing the market before you are asked. ## Do the homework first You cannot answer well with a number you made up. Before any recruiter call, find the low, typical and high pay for this role, in this location, at your level of experience. The method is in [How to find out what you should be paid](https://glide.work/guides/how-to-find-your-market-value). Then decide three figures: - **Your target:** what you would be pleased to accept. - **Your range:** a bottom you are content with, and a top that is still realistic for the role. - **Your floor:** below this, you decline. Say the range, never the floor. The bottom of the range you name should be a figure you would genuinely take, because that is the one the employer will remember. ## When the question comes It tends to come at three moments, and the best answer differs. Moment | What to do An application form with a required field | Enter a figure inside your range, or the middle of it, and be ready to discuss it A recruiter screen | Ask for the budgeted range first; if they decline, give yours A later interview or the offer stage | Give your range, with a reason, and then go quiet If you are asked for a single number, give the point in your range you would be happiest with and say it is a range you are flexible within. ## Example answers **Turning the question around, early on:** > I’d like to understand the role fully before I give a number. Could you share the range the team has budgeted for this position? **When they ask you directly:** > Based on what I’m seeing for this role in [city] at my level of experience, I’m looking for something in the range of [low] to [high], depending on the full package. I’m flexible on how that’s made up. **When they insist on your current salary:** > I’d rather not anchor on my current pay, as the roles aren’t quite comparable. What I can tell you is that I’m looking for [range] for this position. **When you do not yet know the market:** > I want to give you an accurate number, and I haven’t had enough time to compare this role with the market. May I come back to you by [day]? All four are polite, short and complete. None apologises. ## Why the range matters A single number tends to become the offer. A wide range tends to become the bottom of it. A range of a sensible width, with a bottom you can live with, gives the employer room to say yes and gives you room to negotiate. Keep the top of the range tied to the market, not to a wish: if you say a figure you cannot justify, it undermines the rest of what you said. Pay is also more than base. If the employer cannot meet your figure on salary, ask about bonus, equity, a pay review at six months, leave or flexibility. The conversation continues in [How to negotiate a job offer when you hate negotiating](https://glide.work/guides/how-to-negotiate-a-job-offer). ## What not to do - **Do not name a figure before you know the range.** The first number becomes the anchor. - **Do not base your answer on your current salary.** Employers can use it to pitch low, and in some places they may not be allowed to ask. - **Do not give a range so wide it is meaningless.** “Fifty to a hundred thousand” tells them nothing. - **Do not say “whatever you think is fair.”** It gives away the one piece of information you hold. - **Do not apologise or hedge.** “Sorry, this might be too high” invites a lower number. - **Do not lie about pay.** Employers sometimes verify it at the offer stage. ## Where the numbers come from The hard part is the research, and it is the part most people skip. [Glide](https://glide.work/) includes Market Value, which shows the low, typical and high pay for your role, city and experience, places your own pay on that range and shows what the rung above earns. It also researches each company you apply to, including what it pays by title. You decide what goes out. ## Common questions ### Should I give a number or a range? A range, with a bottom you would be glad to accept. If they press for one figure, give the point you would be happiest with and say you are flexible. ### Is it okay to ask for the salary range first? Yes. It is a reasonable question and many employers answer it. If they will not, give yours. ### Should I tell them my current salary? You are rarely obliged to. It is usually better to state the range you are looking for, based on the market, than to anchor the conversation on what you earn now. ### What if my range is above their budget? Ask what the budget is and whether other parts of the package can move. If the gap is too large, it is better to learn that early and politely step away than late. ## Keep reading [How to find out what you should be paid Your market value is a range, set by role, location and experience. Here is how to find it, how to read it, and how to use it when an offer arrives. 4 min read](https://glide.work/guides/how-to-find-your-market-value)[How to negotiate a job offer when you hate negotiating Fewer than a third of US workers ask for more pay when hired. Here is how to do it calmly: know the range, name a number and say one sentence. 4 min read](https://glide.work/guides/how-to-negotiate-a-job-offer)[How to prepare for a job interview (with a checklist) A practical interview preparation checklist: research the company, map your experience to the role, rehearse answers aloud and plan the logistics. 6 min read](https://glide.work/guides/how-to-prepare-for-a-job-interview) Glide is the agent on your side of hiring. See [what it does](https://glide.work/), [how it compares](https://glide.work/compare) and [the research behind it](https://glide.work/research/the-2026-labour-market). Join in ## Your invitation is waiting to be written. An invitation Glide, by invitation only You are invited. To whoever is looking for work, Every piece of hiring software was built for the company doing the hiring. Glide is the other side: an agent that works for you, from finding the role to handling what comes back. We let people in a few hundred at a time, every Friday. Leave your email and we will write the moment your spot opens. Your agent starts the same day. Shubhankar Kahali Founder of Glide Admits One person You, and the agent that works for you. Opens On a Friday New spots open every week. Begins The same day Your agent starts as soon as you are in. Costs you One email To get in line. No card, no form. RSVP Already on the list? [Sign in](https://glide.work/login)