“They’re asking me what salary I want to make on the job, and I haven’t even applied yet! Help! How do I answer this? I don’t want to price myself out of the market by replying, but I won’t get called if I don’t tell them!”

The salary question is a good one, and one I get a lot. In fact, during consultations with clients, it’s probably the most common question I get asked, and understandably so. The interview process is nerve wracking, and interviewers often try to intentionally throw off your game to test how you react under pressure. The company also wants to make sure the talent they hire fits within the budget. You want to make sure you don’t get a low-ball offer. What to do?

I recommend these approaches:

1. If you’re asked for a specific salary requirement as a condition of applying, look up the job on indeed.com and see which salary bracket it falls in. You can usually type something like “widget creator XYZ Company” in the “what” box, and then type your location target in the “where” box, and it’ll give you all the jobs in that company in that area which correspond to your search criteria. On the left sidebar you’ll see a salary range. To get more specific, you can play around with the numbers for a range. Type in “widget creator XYZ Company $50000” and increase by $5000 increments until you no longer see the job posted. That will give you a pretty good idea.

2. If you’re asked the salary question during an initial phone screening with a recruiter, it’s perfectly okay to say “I’d like to postpone that discussion until I learn more about the position and discuss it with the hiring manager. If there is a mutual fit, I’m sure we can come to an agreement on salary at the appropriate time in the process.”

3. If you really feel pushed to give a number, ask the recruiter or hiring manager (if you’re in the face to face interview) for a number first: “Perhaps we could start with your telling me the range for the position.” If they give you a range that’s low, you can say “With my qualifications and experience in a, b and c, I would be comfortable discussing a salary in the upper part of the range. However, again, I would like to postpone that discussion for now and talk more about how I might contribute to your organization.”

4. If it’s a do or die situation where you must answer first, then it’s best to state a range that is 10-15% higher than your current salary. One caveat: look up the market first. Go to salary.com for this. Hiring managers understand you’re looking for opportunity and not a lateral move; it’s natural to want to make more as your career progresses. But you must be sure to ask within the market norms.