How to Answer the Expected Salary Question Without Losing Out
How to research a fair range, fill in the expected salary field on applications, and answer HR on a screening call, with sample lines you can use right away.
You are filling in an application for a job you really want. Every field goes smoothly until you reach “Expected salary”, and your hand stops. Too high and you might be filtered out. Too low and you could be underpaid for years. The truth is this question is not a trap, but if you answer without data, you put yourself at a disadvantage.
Why companies ask about expected salary early
HR already has a budget for the role. This question lets them check whether your expectation and their budget can meet before both sides spend time on several interview rounds. They also look at how well you understand the value of your own work. Someone who gives a reasoned answer comes across as more professional than someone who says “Whatever the company offers.”
Step 1: Find a range you can back up
Look at real job ads
Open the job listings and look at the same or similar roles at your experience level. Many ads state a salary range. Note down 10 to 15 of them and you will see roughly what the market pays.
Ask people in your field
Ask seniors or friends in the same field, framed as a range: “For a role like this, with experience like mine, what range is the market at?” Most people are more comfortable giving a range than revealing their own number.
Adjust for context
- Company size and type: startups, SMEs and multinationals pay differently
- Benefits: bonus, health insurance and remote work have real value
- Specific skills the role needs that you have
Step 2: Set three numbers
- Walk-away number: below this you will not accept. Base it on real expenses and your current salary. Keep it to yourself.
- Target number: the figure that reflects the market and your experience.
- Opening number: slightly above target, to leave room to negotiate.
When you give a range, make the bottom of the range your target, not your walk-away number, because companies usually start from the low end.
Step 3: Fill in the application field
If the field requires a number, enter your target or a narrow range you can accept. If it is free text, write something short such as “35,000 to 40,000 baht, flexible depending on the overall package” (this figure is only an example of phrasing; use numbers from your own research). Do not enter 0 or 99,999, as the screening system or HR may read that as not serious.
Step 4: Answer on the screening call
If HR asks on the phone, first turn the question back politely:
“Could you share the budget for this role first? Then I can see whether it matches what I had in mind.”
If they still want you to go first, give a range with a reason: “Based on similar roles and my experience in X, I am expecting around ... to ... baht, and I am open to discussing the overall package.” A short reason makes the number look grounded.
If your current salary is below market
Many people worry that if they earn little now, they cannot ask for much more. In fact, the number you ask for should be based on the new role and the market, not your old salary. If HR asks for your current salary, you can answer honestly and follow with a reason, for example: “I currently earn ... baht, but this role covers a team and a marketing budget that are larger than in my current job, so I am expecting around ... to ... baht.” Linking your number to the new scope helps HR see why the gap makes sense.
What to avoid
- Saying “up to the company”: it looks like you do not know your worth and often gets you the bottom of the budget
- Personal reasons: such as car or mortgage payments. Companies pay for the value of the work, not your obligations
- A range that is too wide: such as 30,000 to 60,000, which looks unprepared
- Changing your number midway without a new reason, such as a bigger scope
How to get started
- Note the salary ranges from at least 10 ads for similar roles
- Set your walk-away, target and opening numbers
- Write your own answer and say it out loud until it flows
- Practise answering with Interview Lab before the screening call
Once you have an offer, the next step is negotiating. Read Negotiating Your Salary After Receiving an Offer. If you are not sure your number is reasonable, talk it through with the AI Career Assistant, describing your role and experience in detail.