Recruiter Asks for Salary Number

Yes I can confirm its best to not share a number. The very most important thing is to not share the first number, but to get the highest offer it doesn't help you to name anything before they give an offer. When they give a range you are implicitly saying you are comfortable with it by continuing to interview with them so I don't see a big problem in saying "I'm comfortable with that range".

Generally the advice I've heard and is to deflect or delay. So when they ask you for a number during initial calls deflect it by saying "Money is important to me, but what's really most important is collaborating with awesome teammates building a product I believe in (or learning or helping the world or whatever you want)". And then you turn them asking about money into a chance for you to show them why you deserve the top of their pay band.

Keep in mind they have these conversations 1000+ times and you have it a handful of times, so when they give you an offer you also want to prepared to say thanks + I need to talk with my family, partner, dog or neighbor. Anything to calmly say thanks and then get off the phone. You want to be able to strategize about how to get more even if it is a bigger than expected offer or a big salary increase already. Once they give you an offer you have the power and then you can start naming things.

In general, it's true that you never want to give a number. However, there's a bit of nuance to this as the concept only applies to a certain type of number: You never want to give a number that sets your ceiling.

So you want to avoid saying things like "I would take an offer that's X" as this means the company is just going to offer you X and get mad when you don't auto-accept it. At the very least, replace "would" with "could".

However, setting a range or establishing a minimum is fine and good for both parties. So there's nothing wrong with saying something like, "X is on the lower end of a feasible compensation range for me", followed up by the material Ryan mentioned about how money isn't the primary issue for you, it's about finding a good fit where you can add value.

If I'm a recruiter and I know that the max pay I can offer is $175k but the candidate's minimum is $200k, going through the interview process is a huge waste of time for everyone.

To learn how to avoid giving a number for them to lowball you with, watch this video: The #1 Rule Of Negotiation - How To Avoid Giving A Number

To dive even deeper, check out our 3+ hour negotiation course: The Insider's Guide To Negotiating Your Tech Salary And Compensation