The topic of compensation in a job interview process has always been a bit of a fearmonger for legal professionals. From negotiating an offer to timing the comp ask, candidates in today’s market still feel anxious when it comes to the money. One frequent predicament that arises is how to handle the “What are your compensation expectations?” question. Whether raised by employers at the beginning, middle or end of the process, this inquiry often asks candidates to move their first pawn in a vacuum—without much, if any information. And candidate reactions are similar:

  • “Am I required to give them a compensation expectation range?
  • “I don’t have a specific range in mind so how am I supposed to give one?”
  • “I’m worried about coming in too low.”
  • “I’m worried about pricing myself out of the role.”
  • “I’ll lose my leverage if I go first.”
  • “I don’t want to provide an answer, but I’m worried that if I don’t, my candidacy will be rejected.”
  • “How am I supposed to know what my expectations are when I don’t know the comp range for the role?”
  • “How should I respond without compromising my candidacy?”

So how should you manage such a situation? Before I provide your narrative options, a few points to convey: