What are Your Salary Expectations?

What are your salary expectations?  At some point in the interview process, you may have to answer this question.

Some companies will ask you to give the information at the beginning of the interview process.  If the question comes up on a job application, you can try to leave the answer blank.  With some online applications, you cannot just skip past the answer.

Knowing how to answer the question accurately, involves more than just salary.  It includes knowing the expenses and hidden costs of the new job.  It involves knowing the difference in tax base, commute costs, vacation time, benefits, and insurance coverage.

There are several articles on this website to help you handle salary discussions and negations.

• What Not to Say in a Job Interview
• How to Negotiate Anything
• What Not to Say in a Job Interview
• Why You Should Never Accept A Counter Offer When You Resign
• The Things to Understand About a Job Offer
• 5 Interview Tips for Getting a Job Offer
• How To Turn Down A Job Offer
• 6 Things To Know Before Accepting A Job Offer
• Jobs: How to Negotiate Anything from Pay Raises and Promotions to Job Offers
• Counter Offers: The Reason That You Resigned Seldom Goes Away If You Stay.
• Counter Offers: The Stress of Trying to Leave a Company
• What to Say in a Job Interview

The best time for you to discuss salary is after you receive an offer and begin to negotiate the offer.  Many companies make a verbal offer and then follow up with a written offer once the detailed have been finalized.  Therefore, holding off on giving an answer to this question until you have all the details of the offer can help you respond in a practical manner that is meaningful to you and to the hiring company.