• The article argues that answering the "What is your current/expected salary?" question with a single number is a strategic mistake that limits your earning potential.
• Giving a specific number early in the process creates an "anchor" that recruiters will use to keep the offer as low as possible.
• Instead of providing a number, the author suggests pivoting the conversation toward the value you bring to the role and the total compensation package.
• A key strategy is to ask for the company's budgeted range for the position first, which puts the onus on the employer to disclose their limits.
• If forced to give a range, ensure the bottom of your range is the minimum you would actually accept, while the top represents your "dream" scenario.
• The goal of salary discussions in early interviews should be to establish "alignment" rather than a final price tag.
• Delaying the specific salary talk until after you have "wowed" the team gives you more leverage, as they are now invested in hiring you specifically.

Hacker News Discussion

• Many commenters emphasize that while "not answering" is a common piece of advice, it can be impractical for those who lack extreme leverage or are in urgent need of work.
• A popular counter-strategy mentioned is to confirm the salary range during the very first recruiter call to avoid wasting hours on interviews for a role that cannot meet your financial requirements.
• Users suggested that if you do provide a number first, you should always include a disclaimer that you "look at the entire package holistically" (benefits, equity, PTO) to maintain flexibility for later negotiation.
• There is a consensus that once a final offer is made, you should almost always ask, "Is there any way you can come up a little bit from that?" as this simple question frequently results in a 5-10% bump with minimal risk.
• Some participants shared "pleasant surprise" stories where refusing to name a price led to offers significantly higher (+50% or more) than what they would have asked for.
• The discussion highlights a shift toward transparency, with many noting that asking for the "salary band" is becoming a standard and respected practice in tech hiring.

COVID is disrupting scientific careers around the world. (2021). Nature, 599(7884), 179–179. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-03049-6

The salary for each profession varies from similar factors. What determines the salary of software developers? After reading this article, I concluded that the greatest role is played by the country in which the developer works. For example, there are countries where developer salaries are much lower, although skills are not inferior. Skills, background and many other points also affect. Enjoy reading!

Dr Phil Hammond 💙. (2020, December 6). In some parts of the country, 31% of care home staff come from the EU. Some areas already have a 26% vacancy rate. And on January 1, EU recruitment will plummet because workers earn less than the £26,500 threshold. A very predictable recruitment crisis on top of the Covid crisis. [Tweet]. @drphilhammond. https://twitter.com/drphilhammond/status/1335490431837200384

Well paid cloud platforms:

Well paid database technologies:

Other well paid frameworks, libraries and tools:

Most paid programming languages:

Payment for mobile OS:

Most paid JS frameworks and libraries:

The Virginia DOE report [https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2018/RD42]sites $56,861as the average budgeted classroom teacher salary for the 2018 fiscal year in the Commonwealth. The debate over what is truly "adequate" continues.