Career Advice
The 3-Sentence Script to Dodge the "Salary Expectations" Trap

The 3-Sentence Script to Dodge the "Salary Expectations" Trap

Denise Okafor-WilliamsBy Denise Okafor-Williams
salary expectationssalary negotiation scriptphone screen interviewrecruiter questionscompensation strategy

In 15 years of hiring, I watched smart candidates give away thousands of dollars in the first five minutes of a phone screen.

It usually started with one question: "What are your salary expectations?"

Let me be direct: this is not a "helpful" question. It's a screening and anchoring question. If you answer too early, you're negotiating against yourself before you even know the scope of the role.

Why recruiters ask for your number first

On the other side of the desk, compensation usually works like this:
  • Finance approves a pay band (for example, $95K-$120K)
  • Hiring manager gets a target zone inside that band (often midpoint or below)
  • Recruiter screens for fit and budget risk early

So when you're asked for your number first, the goal is usually one of two things:
  1. Anchor low so the final offer stays closer to the bottom of the band.
  2. Screen out quickly if your number sounds above budget.

This is not personal. It's process.

The $5,000-$15,000 mistake most people make

Whoever gives the first number often loses leverage. That's basic anchoring psychology.

Harvard's Program on Negotiation has documented this repeatedly: the first number influences the entire discussion, even when it shouldn't.

Now add the compounding effect.

If you accept even $10,000 below market and raises track roughly with wage growth, you don't just lose $10,000 once. Using the latest BLS wage trend (3.3% year-over-year for wages and salaries), that gap grows over time:
  • Year 1 gap: $10,000
  • Year 5 annual gap: about $11,387
  • Five-year cumulative gap: about $53,000+

That's why I keep saying this question matters.

The exact 3-sentence script

Use this word-for-word in your next phone screen:

 
I'd like to understand the full scope of the role and total compensation package first.
Can you share the budgeted range for this position?
If we're aligned on the role, I'm confident we can find a number that works for both sides.

This script works because it does three things precisely:
  • Shows you're collaborative, not evasive
  • Re-centers the conversation on their range, not your guess
  • Preserves flexibility until you have full information

When they push back: "We need a number to move forward"

Expect this. Here's the follow-up script:

 
I understand.
Based on market data and similar roles, I'm targeting a range between $X and $Y, depending on base, bonus, equity, and benefits.
If you can share your range, I can quickly confirm whether we're in the same zone.

Important: if you must provide a range, keep it market-based and wide enough to protect your upside.

Good vs. bad example

BAD:

 
I'm flexible. Maybe around $90,000?

Why this hurts you: You just set an anchor without context.

GOOD:

 
I'd like to understand the full scope and package first. Can you share the budgeted range?

Why this helps you: You keep leverage and get the information you actually need.

Common mistakes that cost money

  1. Giving a precise number too early - Why it hurts you: precision gets treated like commitment.
  2. Using your current salary as your target - Why it hurts you: it carries old underpayment into your new role.
  3. Saying "I'm open" without a strategy - Why it hurts you: it signals weak positioning, not flexibility.
  4. Ignoring total compensation - Why it hurts you: base salary is only part of the package.

Q1 2026 market reality (so you can negotiate with facts)

As of March 5, 2026:
  • BLS Employment Cost Index shows wages and salaries up 3.3% year-over-year (12 months ending December 2025).
  • BLS reports 6.5 million job openings in December 2025.
  • January 2026 JOLTS data is scheduled for release on March 13, 2026.
  • March 2026 ECI release is scheduled for April 30, 2026.

Translation: this is not the market for weak salary positioning. If compensation is rising and you anchor yourself low, you're voluntarily taking a discount.

Your action item (do this today)

Copy the two scripts above into your phone notes right now.

Then practice them out loud three times before your next screening call. Not in your head. Out loud.

Because when this question comes, you won't rise to your intention. You'll fall to your preparation.

Sources