Find the salary range for a job before you name a number

"What are your salary expectations?" is one of the few interview questions with a wrong answer. Too low and you may be paid that for years. Too high without a reason and the conversation can end. The fix is not a negotiating trick. It is knowing the range before anyone asks.

Start with the posting itself

Check whether the posting states a range. In a growing number of countries and regions employers have to publish one, and many do it voluntarily. If the range is there, most of your work is done, and your question becomes where in that range you belong.

In the European Union, a 2023 directive on pay transparency gives applicants the right to know the starting pay or its range before pay is negotiated. Member states had until 7 June 2026 to put it into national law, so check what applies in the country where the job is.

If it is not there, look at the same employer's other postings. A company that hides the range in one advert sometimes shows it in another for a similar level.

Look at similar postings

Search for the same role in the same region and note every posting that states a figure. Five or six are enough to see a pattern. Be careful to compare like with like:

• The same seniority, judged by the responsibilities and not only the title
• The same region, because pay for one role can differ a lot between cities
• The same kind of employer, since a small local company and a large international one rarely pay alike

Use public salary data

Several kinds of public sources publish pay figures:

• National statistics offices, which are reliable but broad and often a year or two behind
• Salary surveys from professional associations and recruiters
• Sites where employees report their own pay

Each has a weakness. Official data is slow. Surveys can favour large employers. Self-reported figures depend on who chose to report. That is why you want several sources and not one.

Write down every figure with its source and its date. A number with no source is not worth much, and a number from four years ago needs to be read with care.

Turn the figures into three numbers

From everything you collected, work out:

• The minimum. Roughly where the lowest serious figures sit.
• The median. The middle of what you found. Half of the figures are above it and half below.
• The maximum. Where the highest realistic figures sit, leaving out anything that looks like a different job.

Now you have the market range for this role in this region. It will not be exact, and it does not need to be.

Compare total pay, not only the base

Two offers with the same salary can be far apart. Before you compare numbers, check what is included: bonus, extra monthly salaries where those are customary, pension contributions, shares, a car or travel allowance, and the number of holidays. Also check whether figures are gross or net and yearly or monthly. Mixing these up is the most common mistake.

Choose your own range

Your range should sit inside the market range, and where it sits depends on how you fit the role. If you cover every requirement and bring something extra, aim for the upper half. If you are stretching into the role, the middle is more realistic.

Pick three numbers for yourself:

1. The figure you would be glad to get
2. The figure you will say when asked, which should be a little above the first
3. The lowest figure you would accept, which you keep to yourself

When the question comes, give a range with your reason: "Based on what similar roles in this region pay, I am looking for between X and Y." A range with a reason is hard to dismiss.

Sources

• European Union, Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency

Where JobUncover fits

The salary research in JobUncover does this search for a specific posting. It gives you the market minimum, median and maximum for the role and the region from public sources, plus a realistic range to ask for, with the links behind the numbers so you can check them. It comes with the Full prep level, together with the company research and interview preparation.