How do you answer the question 'What is the expected salary?' Without being unfair to yourself

📅 2026-07-06 ⏱️ 6 minutes read ✍️ CVVApp Career Team

The question that everyone dreads in the interview or application form! Learn professional tactics to answer without losing the job or accepting low pay.

Trap Question!

Question “What is the expected salary?” It puts you in a difficult position. If you ask for a number that is too high, you may be disqualified. If you ask for a low number, you could lose thousands of dollars a year and reduce your value in their eyes. So, how do you get out of this dilemma?

Ways to answer depending on the situation

  1. If the question is in an online form (it only accepts numbers): Find the average salary for this position, and write the number that is acceptable to you. Some experts recommend typing "0" to skip the field and leave the negotiation to the interviewer, but this may bother some ATS systems. It is better to write a logical number based on real research.
  2. If the question in the first phone interview: You can tactfully redirect the question: “I am currently focused on finding a place that matches my skills and enables me to add real value. Can you tell me the range allocated for this position within your budget?”.
  3. If they insist on a specific number: Give a wide “Range”, and make the lowest number in it The number you are truly satisfied with. Example: “Based on my market research and the amount of responsibilities we discussed, I expect a range of $15,000 to $18,000, and I am open to negotiating based on the full package of benefits and insurance.”