Answer “what is your current salary?”

Thanks for asking. I would like to hear the band you have for the software engineer role, and I can tell you the number I am targeting so we both know if it is worth continuing.

My target is $170,000. For the scope we have discussed, that is the number I would accept. I can work from $163,000 to $179,000 if bonus, equity, or level changes the total. I would not want an offer at the bottom of that range unless another part of the package made up the difference.

What band are you hiring against?

The market check I can cite is that published ranges for this level in my city sit around $180,000 to $200,000 total. The scope I can defend is this. I own a production service and I am the person on call for it.

I hear you, and I appreciate you saying it directly. If this base is the ceiling, I still want to see whether a signing bonus, the equity grant, or the level can move. If none of those can, I will decide on the package as it stands rather than ask the same question again.

Understood. A salary band is often fixed once the level is fixed. Signing bonuses and equity grants sometimes sit outside that annual budget. Is either of those actually open? If both are closed, what does a pay review look like in six months, and what would have to be true for the level to change?

I would rather keep this on the pay for this role. A prior salary is a different job, and in some places an employer should not ask. The number I am using here is $170,000.

I am not going to invent a current salary, and I am not required to answer with one.

If salary cannot move the whole way, I will ask about other terms I actually want. I will start with a signing bonus.

If base cannot reach the target, I would like to talk about a signing bonus that closes part of the first-year gap. I want the amount, and any payback terms, in writing.

On equity, I would like the grant size, the vesting schedule, the cliff, and what happens to vested shares if I leave. If these are options, I also want the last independent valuation and how long I have to exercise after I leave. I will not treat a percentage as cash.

I would like to know how refresh grants work here: whether they happen on a schedule, what they depend on, and whether this offer is only the initial grant.

Remote work matters to me. I would like the written policy: which days, which locations are allowed, and whether pay changes with location.

I would like to confirm paid time off: the number of days, whether they are accrued, and what happens to unused days.

I can start on a date I can keep. If you need someone sooner, tell me the real date and I will say yes or no, rather than agree and then slip.

I would like to get to yes. If $170,000 is possible, I can move forward. If it is not, I am open to a different mix of base, bonus, and equity that lands in the same place. What is the next step on your side?

Hello,

Thanks for asking. I would like to hear the band you have for the software engineer role, and I can tell you the number I am targeting so we both know if it is worth continuing.

My target is $170,000. For the scope we have discussed, that is the number I would accept. I can work from $163,000 to $179,000 if bonus, equity, or level changes the total. I would not want an offer at the bottom of that range unless another part of the package made up the difference.

What band are you hiring against?

The market check I can cite is that published ranges for this level in my city sit around $180,000 to $200,000 total. The scope I can defend is this. I own a production service and I am the person on call for it.

If base cannot reach the target, I would like to talk about a signing bonus that closes part of the first-year gap. I want the amount, and any payback terms, in writing.

I would like to get to yes. If $170,000 is possible, I can move forward. If it is not, I am open to a different mix of base, bonus, and equity that lands in the same place. What is the next step on your side?

Thank you,

[Your name]