Salary & offers
Answering the salary-expectations question
A salary-expectations question helps employer and applicant check whether their budgets overlap. Your answer is more useful when it refers to the role's responsibilities and a clearly defined pay basis. Prepare it before the first screening call.
Editorial review: 16 October 2026
Build a defensible range
Compare similar work in the relevant region and sector using official wage information and professional sources. Note experience, qualifications and leadership responsibilities. Establish your private minimum after estimating household costs, then choose a discussion range supported by the role. A personal housing cost explains your decision threshold, while professional scope gives the employer a stronger reason to agree to the amount.
State the basis explicitly
A practical answer is: “For this scope, I would discuss CHF X–Y annual gross at 100%, including any guaranteed thirteenth salary. I would like to understand the pension plan and variable-pay conditions.” Replace the placeholders with researched figures. For a part-time vacancy, provide the actual percentage and say whether the figure is the reduced salary or full-time equivalent. This prevents twelve-versus-thirteen-payment misunderstandings.
Respond to incomplete information
If responsibilities remain unclear, ask about the employer's budget and clarify team size, hours, travel or on-call work before narrowing the range. Where a form requires one number, enter a consistent annual figure and use an available comment field to explain the basis. Keep the same assumptions across interview rounds. Revise expectations transparently if the role becomes materially different, identifying which added responsibility or schedule requirement changes the calculation.