what should I put when companies ask for salary expectations?

It's completely normal to feel a bit anxious when you see that question pop up on an application. Before we dive into the strategy of how to answer, I'd love to tailor my advice to your specific situation.

To help me give you the best advice, what industry or job role are you currently applying for, and have you encountered mostly 'optional' or 'mandatory' (numeric-only) fields in the applications so far?

I'm in healthcare/education, and it's a mix of both.

Thanks for sharing that context. Working in healthcare and education means you face a unique landscape where some roles have strictly structured pay scales, while others leave a lot of room for negotiation.

The Game Behind the Question

Before we look at exactly what to type into those application boxes, it helps to understand why employers ask for your salary expectations so early in the process. From the company's perspective, this is primarily a screening tool. They want to ensure your expectations align with their budget before they invest time in multiple interview rounds. However, for you, naming a specific number too early is a major strategic risk. If you name a figure that is too high, you might get automatically filtered out by an before a human ever sees your resume. On the other hand, if you name a figure that is too low, you leave money on the table because the company will gladly baseline their eventual offer on your low estimate. Your main goal at this stage is to keep your options open and preserve your future .

Let's start with how to handle those fields when they are optional, or when they allow you to type in custom text rather than just raw numbers.