Salary expectations: what to write in the box you can't leave blank

Career advice on salary expectations is stuck in 2014. The advice (“leave it blank,” “say you're negotiable”) assumed an HR person typing the question manually. Modern ATSes auto-disqualify applications with no salary number. The question isn't whether to put a number — it's which one.

The four box types

On the 800-some applications we've filled out, the salary box comes in four shapes:

1. Single number, required, no range.The worst kind. “Desired salary: $______” with no qualifier.
2. Range, required, both ends.“Min: $___ Max: $___”
3. Single number, optional. Skippable. Skip it.
4. Free-text, required.“Compensation expectations:” with a textarea. The most flexible.

What to write in each

Single number, required

Put your target. Not your floor, not your ceiling. The number you'd say yes to without hesitation. It will anchor downstream conversation. ATSes filter on this number — too high disqualifies you, too low caps your offer.

How to find your target: levels.fyi for the company and level. If the company isn't there, glassdoor for the role title and city. Take the median, add 10% for negotiation room. That's your number.

Range, both ends

Min: 90% of your target. Max: 115% of your target. Tight range. A wide range signals that you don't know what you want, and the offer will land near your minimum. The min is a real floor — many companies offer exactly the min you specify.

Free-text, required

Two sentences:

Targeting [target] base for this role, flexible based on the full compensation package. Happy to discuss in more detail once we've confirmed mutual fit.

The phrase “flexible based on the full compensation package” does work. It signals you understand equity / bonus / benefits exist and you're not anchored to base alone. It also gives you cover to revise without looking inconsistent.

What never to write

• “Negotiable” or “market rate.” The ATS reads this as missing data. Some tenants auto-reject; most route the application to the bottom of the pile.
• $1, $0, or any sentinel value. Recruiters see the trick. The ATS may also flag the application for review, which delays it by days.
• A range wider than 30%.“$100K-$200K” doesn't signal flexibility — it signals you have no idea what you're worth.
• Your current salary. In states where the question is illegal (CA, NY, IL, MA among others), this is the wrong reference anyway. The salary you want is rarely the salary you have.

What about hourly roles?

Same logic, hourly numbers. Multiply your target annual by 0.0005 to get the hourly equivalent (40 hr/wk × 50 wk/yr = 2000 hours, so $100K/yr ≈ $50/hr). Most hourly applications give you a single number; pick your target.

What about commission / OTE roles?

If the role is sales or has a stated OTE, write the OTE (on-target earnings), not just base. The recruiter reads it as OTE by convention; writing only base will price you below market by a third.

The one trick that genuinely works

Look up the job posting in a state where pay-transparency law applies (CA, CO, NY, WA). If the company posts the role in those states, the salary range is in the posting. Use the upper-third of that range as your target. You've just gotten the answer key for free.

If the role isn't posted in a transparency state, look for an analogous role at a competitor in one. Use that as a proxy.