I ask for fair market value. You do, however, need to have an idea what that might be. Check out salary.com (or a similar site) for geographic and level-specific salary ranges so you have an idea of what you're worth in your market with your experience/certifications.

I think it also depends on what certifications you have. A person with a PMP or some other PMI certification can earn more money than someone without.

I find that when looking at Glassdoor, Salary.com, etc., the salaries vary so wildly that it's not really useful for giving a range when asked. The couple times this year I've been asked for my expectations, I've gone the "I'd like to speak to the hiring manager/learn more about the role's responsibilities" route and then asked if they would share the range. Both times they did.

Most times I am working with a recruiter or HR within the company. I 'ask' for the range with a question that is phrased to help us match things up quickly. The last HR director I spoke with told me a little about the position and then I replied that I was 'intrigued'. I then responded that I would hate for him to waste his time so might I inquire as to the amount budgeted for the position. Most of the time when I put it like this, I get a range and then I respond appropriately. Once it was - I'm sorry but that is below what I would be willing to take. Another time it was that the range was adequate but I would need to be placed in the higher third of the range and once I responded with - that's a great range for us to negotiate within. If they are unwilling to put a range out there then I normally have a range in mind from research on the position PLUS similar types of positions. I have found that sometimes the job being advertised - even PM roles, are not true PM roles and they could really get buy with an analyst with PM skills.

One note considering a few of the responses, it's important to note that some companies will not give you the salary range. I have also found some hiring managers are less free with this sort of information than the recruiters, who are more familiar with what the company is willing to share. I have benefited quite a bit from having this conversation with the recruiter, who is often not the decision maker. When they ask that question, I have been able to have some dialogue over it. if they can't provide a range, I might, for example, say a $ figure and ask them if that is within an acceptable margin of the budgeted amount. If they say no, then you can revise your figure. The recruiter may pass along all of that conversation to the hiring manager... or they may not, and your interviews and/or successive conversations could be saved from some of the stigma we all worry about with over or undershooting on salary.

Doing research is important so you have insights to their pay scale for that type of job. One way that I have answered that question in the past, especially if I have felt underpaid is: I think a lot of women sell themselves short by sharing or setting goals based on past salaries. What I am looking for in compensation is to be paid at a level commiserate with the responsibilities of the role, is on par with my peers, and competitive in the marketplace. I also understand that compensation is more than just salary, so I’ll be taking a look at the total package. If they still push for a range, give a wide range (i.e. mid 1's to mid 2's, keeping in mind a total compensation) but don't go below what you expect to be paid based on your research and capabilities.

I always ask what’s the salary range for the position when I’m asked my desired salary. Then I know immediately if they’re going to be able to pay me what I need to make. I’ve been adding to my current salary to come up with the number but I think for the next job I’m going to ask for a lot more. Having an MBA, I’m starting to realize I’m underpaid and selling myself short on what I should be applying for.

I would respond in one of two ways depending on the situation you're in. First, I'd make sure you've adequately benchmarked the salary and you have at least 5-6 datapoints about what other similar kinds of jobs in this field are offering. That way, when you do give a range, you're giving one anchored in actual data. Second, I would actually FIRST respond by asking, "what have you budgeted for this position?" That way you know that they have created a budget line for this job (this is often not the case in the NFP world!) and that they've set a salary range for it. And when you respond, you can make sure to set yourself at whatever part of that range is appropriate based on your experience. If what you hear back is too low, you know to get out of there!

While “negotiable” seems like a safe answer to avoid shooting too low or too high, I always provide a range with the caveat, based upon benefit package. Coming from the other side of the desk, I don’t want to waste my time or the candidate’s time if we aren’t in the ballpark of their expectations. I’ve never used the information for data gathering. Quite frankly I’m too busy and really don’t even have time to review resumes and interview candidates, hence, I don’t have time for playing salary games.

The reason they ask is to build data on what to offer and to see who comes in with the highest credentials at the lowest price (suspicious), or to see who is an anomaly in the market and should be weeded out. A truly exceptional candidate is not desired in today’s market. They are seen as risky.