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I am finishing up a graduate degree and am looking for my first full-time job. I recently had a second interview (Skype) with a place I'm interested in and the interviewer asked me what my desired salary was. My plan for this question has been to politely refuse to be the first person to offer a number and that's what I did, in an indirect way. The interviewer pushed to get a number from me, even saying something along the lines of "what is your dream salary for this job, even if it's high?" I still refused to offer a number, eventually directly ("I don't want to offer a number right now, if that is all right.") After the direct refusal the interviewer moved on to other questions.

I've looked through other questions on this site on this topic, and there is lots of advice on how to answer the "desired salary" question. However, I didn't find anywhere that answered specifically the question is it okay to refuse entirely to answer the "desired salary" question? Are there any downsides to absolutely refusing (politely) to be the first party to throw out a number?

I'm wondering because, in my situation, I don't really have any previous salaries I can point to as a baseline for expectations, and many of the positions I'm applying to are specialized or at specialized companies that don't have enough people working those positions/companies to give Glassdoor, etc., a handle on estimating salaries. I suspect these places will pay well, but I don't want to inadvertently offend them with too high a desired salary or give myself a pay cut with too low a desired salary and that's why I have taken my stance of not wanting to offer the first number.

Duplicate? I believe the specific question as I have worded it is not a duplicate, though I realize my search may not have been exhaustive and/or its answer may have been addressed in another question. Please point me there if so, otherwise I argue that my specific question is not a duplicate.

is it okay to refuse entirely to answer the "desired salary" question?

Yes. You can clearly refuse to answer any question you prefer not to answer, for any reason.

Are there any downsides to absolutely refusing (politely) to be the
first party to throw out a number?

Certainly. Most interviewers expect an answer when they ask a question. Your refusal to answer could be ignored, could go down as a negative, or could even cause a complete rejection.

You have to decide how important it is to you not to answer any question. While it's a fairly common negotiating strategy to try not to be first to mention a salary, this strategy has significant risks. That's particularly true when the interviewer pushes hard for an answer.

As an employee, I hated answering this question. As an employer, I realized that it's wonderfully practical. It gives me some small insight into how self-aware you are about your abilities and your sense of confidence.

• A person with a nominal resume but a high-salary expectation may be self-centered or arrogant despite the polite courtesy shown in the interview.




• A person with a great resume but a low-salary expectation may be nervous, naturally self-disparaging, or have low self-esteem.

Alone, a datapoint like this is nothing more than a flag that there may be an issue to be considered. Possibly negative as shown: but that means asking more questions! Because what I might discover is that the high-salary person has intentionally minimized his resume to avoid appearing too presumptuous and the low-salary person may be padding a resume.

Can you refuse to answer? Absolutely. Don't work for a company that doesn't let you comfortably answer or not answer any question. But also realize that you're depriving the interviewer of information that reflects who you are and how you see yourself.

Your school should have a job counselor. This would be a great question to ask that person to get an idea of the different ways this information is used during the hiring process and how to better assess an answer for yourself.

I've often heard the advice to not say what salary you're expecting, either until very late in the interview process, or to refuse to be the first to give a number.

The reasoning is usually given as, "If you quote a number less than what they were prepared to offer, they'll then agree to this lower number when you could have gotten more."

It's certainly possible that it could work that way. But there are many other possible scenarios.

Like, the maximum the company is prepared to pay for this job is less than your minimum requirement. Then you're just wasting your time talking to them, because when you finally get to talking numbers, it's going to be an impasse.

Or, the company considers your resume and performance in the first interview and says, "Hmm, someone with these qualifications will surely demand at least $X. We can't afford him, let's look for more realistic candidates." In fact you are willing to work for much less than that. By refusing to give a number, you just negotiated yourself out of a job.

A company once tried to sell me a service contract. I asked how much it cost. The salesman said, "Not much, when you consider what you're getting." At that point I said forget it, I'm not interested. I've seen plenty of advertisements that don't give a price. I immediately lose interest. If they're afraid to tell me the price, I work on the assumption that the price must be high and they're hoping to trick me into committing before I know how expensive it is. I'm not interested.

Frankly, I think the idea that your last job paid, say, $50,000 a year but now a company will offer you $200,000 is pure fantasy. Thinking that by refusing to give a number might result in some fabulous offer beyond your wildest dreams ... it's just not going to happen.

If you want to try to maneuver the company into giving a number first, fine, go ahead and try. But if they refuse, I don't think it's worth turning it into a stand-off. Just give a somewhat high number and let them make a counter-offer.

Consider that you're entering into a negotiation and knowing what you want is simply a matter of being prepared.

I recommend digging deeper to find out what you're worth. Find as many data points as you can (ask people, similar job listings that list a salary range, sites to help you calculate your worth, data from similar positions, etc). The more data points you're able to collect, the more accurate your number will become.

Once you have a general idea, give a number that's slightly higher (assuming you're still unsure). You're better off coming in a bit high than low. By showing respect for yourself, you will gain the respect of others, and it's probably your best shot at getting what you deserve when throwing out the first number and not knowing exactly what you're worth.

Now, you could still chose to try and have them give a number first. You could ask them before they have a chance to ask you, for instance, though they may just turn the question back at you. It's a tricky game to play and I'm not sure I would advise simply refusing to answer the question.

Is it okay to refuse entirely to answer “desired salary” question?

As you demonstrated yourself in your interview, it is entirely possible to put off salary discussions until later, a practice which most experts recommend. The interviewer, however, holds all the cards. If an interviewer insists that you name a salary, you don't have much choice. That's why experts recommend that you have a number in mind when going into an interview (your walkaway number), even if you never have to name it.

I don't want to inadvertently offend them with too high a desired salary

In my experience this never happens. In fact, you're more likely to offend an interviewer by not naming a salary at all, as opposed to naming a salary that's too high. If you put off salary discussions until later, and eventually get to a point where you are discussing salary, the employer likely wants to hire you, and is more likely to propose a lower counter-offer than to tell you to go home.

many of the positions I'm applying to are specialized or at specialized companies that don't have enough people working those positions/companies to give Glassdoor, etc., a handle on estimating salaries

In reality there are very few positions that are so specialized you can't glean anything from sites like Glassdoor or other job boards. You should at least be able to tell based on the overall industry, skill sets used, and years of experience a ballpark for a salary range. When in doubt, go high.