When is the right time to bring up salary during a job interview?

One school of thought suggests it's a bad idea for candidates to be the one to bring up the issue of pay first.

"We used to say don't bring up salary early because you want to go through the interview process, have them totally fall in love with you, and then you can negotiate a higher salary," says Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at ResumeBuilder with over 30 years of recruiting experience.

Plus, others caution, hiring managers may see your enthusiasm to talk salary as a sign that you're just there because you're interested in the money, not the job itself.

Some research even says discussing pay early on has contributed to the wage gap — especially when historically underpaid candidates state their below-market salary expectations, or when they benchmark their desired pay to previously low earnings, and employers make offers based on those lower numbers.

But pay transparency efforts have shifted those conversations.

Money is coming up earlier in hiring talks

It's becoming more common for employers to proactively discuss their budgets for a role earlier in the hiring process for two main reasons.

For one, in some states, it's illegal for an employer to ask about a candidate's salary history as a means of gauging their expectations for a new role.

And more states and localities are passing laws where employers are required to state the salary range for a role in the job listing itself, or at some point during the interview process whether the candidate asks for it or not.

These policies are popular with job seekers, who want more transparency in the hiring and compensation process, and are less likely to put off the conversation.

A majority, 58% of workers say they prefer job postings that include a pay range for the position, according to a September 2023 survey of 4,402 adults by the National Women's Law Center and Morning Consult. And roughly 1 in 3 workers say they've applied for a job they otherwise wouldn't have been interested in because they saw the pay range listed alongside it.

How to ask about salary in a first interview

Given the changing attitudes, Haller feels it's completely fine for candidates to initiate the salary conversation in a screener or early-stage interview.

Seeing a published salary range gives you a good way in to both confirm the numbers align with what you're looking for, and to prepare to negotiate later on.

Say a position lists a budgeted salary range of $50,000 to $70,000, Haller says. Ask the interviewer: What are you looking for in a candidate that would command that $70,000 range?

"That's going to guide you in the rest of the interview process," she says.

Even if you don't know the range upfront, you can ask your interviewer to share what's budgeted for the role.

Haller suggests this script: "I'm very excited about the role. I just want to make sure that we're looking at the same thing going forward. What is the range for the position?"

Most HR people won't say a specific number, she adds, "but at least you could get an idea that you're both on the same page, because nobody wants to waste each other's time."

The case for not bringing up pay first

While job applicants may feel more informed and empowered to ask about pay first, some experts say there are reasons to wait it out.

Let the interviewer bring up compensation first for a better look at the company's culture and values, says Brianna Doe, founder and CEO of Verbatim, a marketing agency.

"In this era of pay transparency, I believe [employers] should be the first ones to share what the budget is, because the budget for the role should not depend on the candidate that you're speaking to," Doe says.

If you make it past two discussions — say, a screener with the recruiter and an initial conversation with the hiring manager — "and nobody has brought up salary, I do see that as a red flag," she adds.

Another potential reason to wait is to make sure you're not undercutting your negotiating power.

Experts stress that you should understand the pay you're looking for given your job title, experience, geographic location and other industry-related factors. That being said, if you wait for the interviewer to discuss the budget they have for a role first, you can avoid inadvertently stating a desired salary range lower than what they have on offer.

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