Julie Q. Brush, Solutus founding partner.

• “Am I required to give them a compensation expectation range?
• “I don't have a specific range in mind so how am I supposed to give one?”
• “I'm worried about coming in too low.”
• “I'm worried about pricing myself out of the role.”
• “I'll lose my leverage if I go first.”
• “I don't want to provide an answer, but I'm worried that if I don't, my candidacy will be rejected.”
• “How am I supposed to know what my expectations are when I don't know the comp range for the role?”
• “How should I respond without compromising my candidacy?”

• “Hi Sarah, thank you for raising the topic of compensation. At this point, I don't have a set range that I'm targeting. Given that companies/firms vary when it comes to compensation, it would be helpful to know where the hiring managers have targeted the role. Do you have that information?”
• “Thanks Ron, my compensation expectations will depend on the role and overall opportunity so I really can't pinpoint a number yet. I'd also like to get a sense of the range you have targeted for the position so I can determine whether we're in the ballpark. What is the target at this time?”
• “Jon, I appreciate the discussion around compensation expectations. My goal is to earn a salary that reflects the value I bring to an organization. I don't want to be an outlier either so in order to provide you with the best guidance, I'd love to have a better understanding of the target compensation range for this role."
• Compensation range provided: “Hi Luis, the compensation range you provided currently works for me, but I would like to be at the highest end of each range."
• Compensation range provided: “Thank you for the information Mary. The salary range is somewhat lower than what I envisioned for my next role. With this said, I'm valuing several factors and am willing to be flexible, but it would be important that I bring home at least $X as an all-in number. Do you think that would be doable on your end if things went well in the rest of the process?"
• Compensation range provided: “Hi Chris, many thanks for the compensation numbers for the role. Unfortunately, that is quite a bit below what I'm currently earning so I will have to take a pass. Let me know if the numbers change—as I think it is a wonderful opportunity and I could add a lot of value to the organization.“

Julie Q. Brush is the founder and author of The Lawyer Whisperer (www.thelawyerwhisperer.com), a career advice column for legal professionals, also found on LinkedIn. She is co-founder of Solutus Legal Search, a legal search/consulting boutique firm, serving as a strategic adviser to lawyers, law firms and corporations.