If you live in one of those areas where they're not legally allowed to ask what you're currently earning, but they can ask how much you're looking for, usually this is a screener, who's asking the question. That's true anywhere in the world. The first person you talk to, the person who has no authority over making the decision as to what your real value is, is asking you to put out a number to them. And they only have the ability to say no. They have no ability to say yes.

So I have a strategy called defer and deflect. And I'll give you a link to it in the show notes. It's a short article that basically ... it's gonna be a paragraph long, that walks through how to respond to the screener when they ask.

But now you're past that point. You've interviewed with a team. And the screener, the recruiter who's handling this position, wants to know what you're looking for.

So it starts off with you understanding what your value is in the market. You need to do research about them. And thus, let's say you find that your value is 100 to 110. And you're really looking for 110. And the next band above you ... because companies work with salary ranges or different bands for positions. The next one is 110 to 125.

So the way to respond when they now ask you about salary is torespond by saying, 'correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that people like me usually earn somewhere between 110 and maybe 120.' And what you're doing is anchoring them in to the higher range, rather than the lower one. You're still mentioning the same number. But what you're doing is influencing them to think higher, rather than lower.

After oil. If you'd said 100 to 110, which is the existing band that you might fit into, they're going to respond somewhere within that range. But if you say 110 to 120, maybe 125. 'I'm curious, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that people like me usually earn somewhere in that range,' that makes them think higher, and you're anchoring them into the higher range rather than the lower one

Practice saying this so that you're not getting into conversation cold and then you want to hit yourself for having blown it.

Hope you found this helpful. I'm Jeff Altman. My website is TheBigGameHunter.us Go there and go exploring. There's a lot there to help you. In addition, if you're interested in one on one coaching, you can schedule time with me for a free discovery call, schedule time for coaching . . . the coaching. People hire me for no BS career advice, which exists along the lifecycle of your career-- job search, hiring better, management, leadership, career transition, salary negotiation, of course, the whole range of skills and experiences that you're going to need in your career.

Also, connect with me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/TheBigGameHunter. Have a terrific day and most importantly, be great

Salary Negotiation: After Defer and Deflect