In telephone screening interviews, it’s common for hiring managers to ask candidates for their salary expectations. Why do they ask this question? 

They want to make sure your salary expectations align with the amount they have budgeted for the job. The hiring manager is also testing you to see if you know and will ask for what you’re worth. 

While hiring managers have good reasons for asking this question upfront, it's tricky to answer it at the beginning of the job interview process. Consider that a salary is only one component of an overall benefits package. 

Yet, if you give a higher range than the company has set, they will eliminate you, and the company will never find out if you would have been worth paying a higher salary. So this question poses a real problem. 

You have to convince the employer to ask you this question later in the recruitment process or provide a well-informed range that doesn't get you eliminated from the candidate pool. By the time you are a top candidate, employers will be far more willing to give you the salary you want and deserve. 

In this episode, you will learn where to research an appropriate salary range for your role. You’ll also get three strategies for answering the question with sample responses.

By the end of the episode, you will be prepared to talk confidently about your salary expectations.

Read the transcript. 

Theme music by Lucas Knutter. 

Infographics on Pinterest. 

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