Know your number before the interview

For a long time, I treated "What are your salary expectations?" like a trap door. I'd panic, then blurt out something "reasonable," which is code for low, so nobody would think I was asking for too much. Then I'd take the offer and quietly resent it for two years.

The problem was that I took the number personally. Like it was a statement about my worth as a human being. It's not. It's market data. Once I started treating it like data, the conversation got a lot less emotional and a lot more profitable.

Your number should come from what the role is worth, not from what you make now plus a little. Here's how to find it.

Step 1: figure out what role you're actually playing

Titles are chaos. A "Project Manager" at one company is a "Senior PM" or "Project Executive" somewhere else. Before you search, write down:

• What you manage: budget size, team size, number of projects
• Your industry and sector (data centers and schools do not pay the same, shockingly)
• Your city or region
• Years of experience in comparable roles

Search by scope, not just title.

Step 2: gather at least three sources

• Job postings with pay ranges. New York City, New York State, California, Colorado, Washington and a growing list of other places require employers to post pay ranges. Look up the same role at 10–15 companies and write down every range.
• Salary sites. Glassdoor, Indeed, Payscale and LinkedIn Salary. Self-reported, so treat them like movie reviews: useful in bulk, unreliable one at a time.
• Government data. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wages by job and metro area. Broad, but a solid floor.
• Industry salary surveys. Many trade associations and staffing firms publish them every year.
• Actual humans. Recruiters will often tell you the range if you ask. Trusted peers might share theirs if you share yours first.

Step 3: pick your number

Put every range in a list. Toss anything that's clearly a different level of job. From what's left:

• Your walk-away number is the middle of the range. Below it, you'd rather stay where you are.
• Your target is in the top quarter, if your experience and scope match.
• Your ask is your target, said as one number. Not a range. Not a question.

Step 4: the big question

If you'd like them to go first:

"I'd like to learn more about the scope before I name a number. What's the budgeted range for this role?"

If they push, or the range is already posted, say your number like you mean it:

"Based on the scope we've discussed and what similar roles pay in [city], I'm looking for a base around [$X]."

Do not add "but I'm flexible." They heard you. They'll assume it anyway.

Step 5: read the whole script, not just the base

Base salary is one scene. Ask about the rest:

• Bonus: the target percentage and how often it actually pays out in full
• Retirement match, health insurance cost and PTO
• Vehicle or travel allowance, common in construction and field roles
• Equity or profit sharing
• When your first salary review happens

When the offer comes in, use my negotiation scripts to counter. The free script pack has a word-for-word counteroffer, so you don't have to improvise.