Let’s go back to our example earlier. Let’s say they’re hiring you for a role whose budget is $75,000. They ask you to guess what that budget is by sharing your expected salary, and you decline to guess because you read this article 😉

So you move on to the next stage of the interview process and do well. Then you talk to another person and you do well. Then you talk to the hiring manager and you do really well.

Important to realize that this might only work if there’s a dearth of candidates. Not at all unlikely that they are suddenly less interested in you because you won’t talk salary up front.

I think the only people who like this question are the ones asking it. Anyone looking for a job hates it because it has nothing at all to do with your ability to succeed in the position! It also assumes that your current compensation is fair and competitive to the market rate.

I think a better way of flipping the script would be something like, “I’d really rather discuss the specifics of this position and how I might fit in before we discuss compensation.” This moves the discussion away from what you’re looking for as a candidate to what they’re willing to offer - where it should be. It also refocuses the discussion on your qualifications for the position. If they aren’t interested in having that discussion without first passing the obvious gatekeeping question, then walk.

It should also be said that this question exists for a reason. Companies don’t want to waste time and resources interviewing a candidate who’s looking for more than they’re willing to pay. This is a by-product of their own efforts to discourage people from discussing salary amongst themselves, so they kind of brought it on themselves! Employees should always discuss salary amongst themselves. It’s one of the best ways to hold employers accountable.