Last Week in Edition 05
Last week we worked the first 90 seconds of an interview. This week, we move to the conversation most candidates are least prepared for. Compensation. Specifically: the moment an interviewer or recruiter asks you what you are looking for, and the way you answer decides your ceiling for the rest of the process.
You get through the screen. The recruiter says the words most candidates are not ready for: "So what are you looking for in terms of compensation?"
What you say in the next 30 seconds sets the ceiling for your offer. Not the negotiation at the end. This moment, right here, before anyone has evaluated you, is where most candidates quietly leave tens of thousands of dollars on the table.
The Midweek Check-In
Do you know the market range for your target role, in your market, right now? If not, you cannot frame your answer with confidence. You are guessing.
Do you have a practiced opening line that deflects the number back without sounding evasive? "What is the range budgeted for this role?" is not rude. It is professional.
Do you know your walk-away number? Not your target. Your floor. The number below which you will say no thank you.
The Shift That Changes Everything
Compensation conversations are not negotiations. They are framings. The candidates who win them do not open with a number. They open with a range, with context, and with a question that shifts the weight of the conversation to the other side of the table.
The Framework: Three Moves That Change the Math
01Ask First, Answer Second
When the compensation question comes, your first move is never a number. It is a clarifying question. "Can you share the range you have budgeted for this role?" Most recruiters have one. Most will share it. If they push back, follow with: "I want to make sure we are in the same ballpark before I share mine, so we do not waste each other's time." That is not evasive. That is how senior candidates talk.
02Anchor High, With Context
When you do give a number, give a range. Anchor the top of your range at 10-15% above what you would accept. "Based on my last role, the market, and the scope we have been discussing, I am targeting something in the $165K to $190K base range, plus equity and standard benefits." Specificity signals you have done your homework. It also quietly tells the recruiter you are not bluffing.
03Defer the Fine-Grain
If they push for a specific number, deflect cleanly. "I am flexible on the specifics depending on total package - base, bonus, equity, refresh, benefits. What I can tell you is my target total is in the $220K range." Total comp. Not base. This reframes the conversation around the whole package, which is where leverage actually lives.
Three Salary Mistakes That Cap Your Offer
- Giving your current salary when they ask. Illegal to require in many states, and damaging to your trajectory everywhere else. Decline politely: "I would prefer to focus on the range for this role."
- Anchoring at your target, not above. Every number you give is a ceiling. Anchor above so the negotiation brings you down to your target, not below it.
- Treating base as the whole package. Bonus, equity, signing, and refresh often add 30-60% to total comp. Negotiate the package, not the headline.
Your Strategy Through Friday
If you have a screen coming up
Open the Comp Conversation Script Builder below. Write your opening deflection and your anchor-range answer. Rehearse both out loud until they sound conversational.
If you do not know your market range
Open the Salary Research Toolkit. Seven sources, 20 minutes, and you will have a range tied to your specific title, location, and experience band.
If you are mid-process and comp has not come up
Bring it up. "Before we go further, can we align on the comp range you have for this role?" Asking late is worse than asking early. Ask now.
The Midweek Mindset
Compensation conversations are won at the opening, not the close. Ask before you answer. Anchor with context. Defer to total package.
Do this three times and the awkwardness disappears. It just becomes how you talk about money.
Stop leaving money on the table in the first conversation.
Unlock the Comp Conversation Script Builder and the Salary Research Toolkit. Both free.
Open the Script BuilderOpen the Toolkit