Story & Questions: What Are Your Salary Expectations?

"What are your salary expectations?" is the question that separates candidates who know their worth from those who hope the employer will figure it out for them. Most people answer it in one of two wrong ways: they blurt out a number that anchors them too low, or they deflect so hard the recruiter loses confidence in them.

The coach has sat on both sides of the table - as a recruiter asking the question and as a coach preparing candidates to answer it. The framework is Range → Rationale → Redirect. First, give a researched range - never a single number, never "negotiable." Then back it with one sentence of market data: not what you need to pay rent, not what your friend makes, but what the market actually pays for this role in this location. Finally, redirect to value: signal flexibility while bringing the conversation back to what you bring.

In this session the coach will help you benchmark your range, craft a one-sentence opener, and practice responding to pushback without caving. The goal is to walk into that conversation knowing your number and being able to say it without flinching - then move on like it was never a big deal.