What kind of salary are you looking for?
"What
kind of salary are you looking for?"
"What
pay range are you looking for?"
There are a couple of ways to answer this. If you state a figure, you risk
stating something that is too high, or something that is too low. Either case,
you will not benefit from this question. A lot of people suggest saying
something like, "
I'm
sure whatever I'm offered will be a fair price."
But I don't agree. It is a safe answer, but if I was the interviewer, I would
appreciate numbers instead of a safe answer. So I recommend answering this
question with a range. I'll explain this more in the negotiation portion, but
just in case you skip that section, here are some examples.
"
I'm
expecting somewhere between $50,000 - $60,000."
If you know the pay for the position you are applying for. Then giving a figure
is not that bad. Just state something a little higher with a small range
included
"
I
know that the average pay for this position is roughly around $45,000, but
because I have a couple years more experience, I would want something around
$48,000 to $50,000."
If the salary range is already included in the job description, then you can
answer that you are willing to consider any offers stated in the job
description.
"
The
job description says that the salary will be around $45,000 to $53,000. I think
it's a fair range."