Somewhere in the interview, it arrives: "So — what are your salary expectations?"
Every fresher dreads this question, for the same reason: it feels like a test with two wrong answers. Ask too high and lose the job; ask too low and get underpaid for years. Both fears are real. Both are manageable with about an hour of preparation.
Step one: research before anyone asks
Walking in without a number is how people end up inventing one under pressure. Before any interview, find the going rate for this role, at this level, in this city:
- Salary websites — search the exact job title plus your city. Look at several sources and ignore the extremes at both ends.
- Job adverts themselves — many list ranges. Ten adverts for similar roles sketch the market quickly.
- People — the best source by far. Rahul messages Arjun, the alumnus from Module 2: "Quick question — for junior accounts roles like the one at your company, what would a realistic starting range be? A rough band is perfectly fine." People who won't share their own salary will happily describe a range for a role.