Job search guides
What to put for desired salary on a job application
By Mehek Mandal · Updated
For desired salary on a job application, give a figure or range based on what the role pays in that location, with the bottom at a number you would accept. If the posting lists a pay range, anchor your answer to it. If the field accepts text, a range or 'Open to discussion' both work. If it only accepts a number, enter one real figure you would be happy with.
Look for a pay range in the posting first.
Many postings now include a pay range. In California, for example, an employer with 15 or more employees must include the pay scale in any job posting, and must give an applicant the pay scale for the position on reasonable request, according to the state Labor Commissioner.
If the posting has a range, you already know what the employer expects to pay. Pick a figure inside it that matches your experience.
Find the market rate when there is no range.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage estimates for about 830 occupations, for the whole country, each state and each metro area. Look up the closest occupation in the city where the job is based.
Then compare with postings for the same title nearby that do show a range. Two or three real ranges tell you more than any single estimate.
Choose your number or range.
Settle this before you open the form, so you are not deciding under pressure.
- Set the bottom of any range at a figure you would really accept.
- Keep a range fairly narrow. A very wide one tells the reader little.
- Answer with base salary unless the question asks for total pay. Bonus and equity come later.
- Check the units. Some fields expect an annual figure and some expect an hourly one.
Fit the answer to the field.
The form decides what kind of answer you can give.
- Text box: a range, or 'Open to discussion' if you would rather talk first.
- Number-only box: one real figure. A placeholder such as 0 can be read as your actual answer.
- Dropdown of ranges: choose the band that contains your target figure.
- Optional field: you can leave it blank and discuss pay later.
How Litos answers salary questions.
When the posting shows pay, Litos answers salary questions from it. When it does not, Litos uses pay the same company publishes for that role and city, or researched pay for the company, role and location. If it finds none and the form accepts text, it answers 'To be discussed'. A number-only field gets the annual figure you saved in settings, or Litos asks you.
Check the salary answer on every application before it is sent, and change it if it is not a number you would accept.
Questions.
Should I leave desired salary blank?
If the field is optional, you can, and discuss pay later. If it is required, give a range or a figure based on the posting or the market rate.
Is a range or a single number better?
A range, when the form allows it, with the bottom at a figure you would accept. Use a single number only when the field requires one.
What if the posted range is lower than I want?
Decide before you apply whether the top of that range works for you. If it does not, the role may not be worth the application.
Does desired salary mean base pay or total pay?
Usually base salary. If the question is unclear, answer with base salary and raise bonus or equity later in the process.
Sources and further reading.
Keep going.
Written by Mehek Mandal, founder of Litos.