Avoid stating your salary expectations first. State a number too low and you could shortchange yourself in the future. State one too high and HR might move on to another candidate expecting lower pay.

Instead, you can respond to the question by kicking it back to HR.

Be kind and curious: “I appreciate that compensation is an important aspect to the job, and it has to work for the both of us. Given you’re the hiring manager in this role, and the expert on what the company can offer, I’d like to hear what you have in mind for the salary range of this position.”

Experts say you should go into every first interview with your salary expectations in mind. You ca check industry salary reports, use online databases and tap your network to figure out where you stand in the market.

As for timing, there are a few different schools of thought as to when to ...