Why This Question Feels Harder for New Grads
Without a previous salary to reference, new graduates often feel like they are guessing blindly. The good news is that entry-level roles usually have a fairly standard, researchable range for a given role, company size, and location, so this is less about personal negotiation experience and more about doing a bit of research beforehand.
It also helps to remember that the person asking usually already has an internal budget in mind and is not expecting you to guess it exactly. The question is more about seeing whether your expectations are roughly in the right neighborhood than testing your negotiation skill.
Many new graduates also worry that naming any number at all might disqualify them, but in practice a reasonable, well-researched answer almost never ends a conversation on its own, since most employers expect some back and forth before landing on a final figure.
How to Find a Reasonable Range Before the Interview
- Search salary data sites for the specific job title, location, and experience level.
- Check whether the job posting itself lists a range, which is increasingly common in many regions.
- Ask people you know in similar roles or from your school's career center, who often have direct visibility into recent starting offers.
- Cross reference two or three sources rather than relying on just one, since individual sites can vary.
It is worth doing this research before your first interview with any employer, not just once you reach an offer stage, since the question can come up earlier in the process than you might expect. Adjusting your researched figures for the specific city or region of the role also matters, since typical entry-level pay can differ meaningfully even within the same country.
How to Actually Say It in the Interview
Giving a realistic range rather than a single number leaves room for negotiation on both sides: 'Based on my research for this role and location, I'm looking at something in the range of [X to Y], though I'm open to discussing based on the full offer.' This shows you have done your homework without sounding rigid.
If you are asked to give a single number and pressed on it, it is fine to name a number toward the higher end of your researched range rather than the middle, since initial numbers are often a starting point for discussion rather than a final figure.
Saying this out loud in a calm, even tone matters as much as the number itself. A steady delivery signals that the figure was thought through rather than picked arbitrarily under pressure.
What Not to Do
Avoid saying you have no expectations or will accept 'whatever is fair,' since this puts all the framing power in the employer's hands and can result in a lower starting offer than you might otherwise get. Also avoid naming a number far outside the researched range in either direction, since this can create an awkward reset in the conversation.
It is also worth avoiding a rushed, unresearched answer given purely to move past an uncomfortable moment. Employers generally respect a candidate who says they would like a moment to think, or who follows up in writing after the interview with a considered number, more than one who blurts out a figure under pressure.
Comparing notes with classmates or peers who recently accepted similar roles can also help you sanity check whether your researched range feels realistic before you walk into the conversation.
What Happens Once an Offer Is Made
If an initial offer comes in below what you researched or expected, it is reasonable to say so directly and ask if there is flexibility, referencing your research as the basis. Many first offers do have some room to move, and asking respectfully rarely damages an otherwise strong impression, especially when the ask is grounded in real research rather than an arbitrary number.
If You Are Comparing More Than One Offer
If you are fortunate enough to be weighing more than one offer at the same time, it is fair to mention this to a company you are seriously considering, without disclosing exact figures from the other offer unless you choose to. Simply stating that you are finishing another process and would appreciate a bit of time, or asking if there is room to improve an offer given a competing one, is a normal and reasonable part of this stage.
Practicing This Conversation Before It Happens
Because salary conversations can feel more high-stakes than other interview questions, it helps to practice saying your range out loud a few times before the actual interview, the same way you would rehearse any other answer. Saying a number confidently and without hesitation, even if you feel uncertain internally, comes across very differently than stumbling through the same number, so a bit of rehearsal genuinely changes how the answer lands.
It can also help to practice with a friend playing the role of the interviewer, including a follow-up question pushing for a single number, so that moment does not catch you off guard the first time it actually happens in a real interview.
The more comfortable this conversation feels in practice, the less it will feel like a high-stakes moment when it actually happens.