How to answer the dreaded salary question

Matt Youngquist solicited input on how to answer the dreaded salary question. Amongst the responses he received was this one:

Answer #2: “Either give a range covering your needs or state that you are sure their offer will be comparable to similar jobs and that you are confident in reaching an agreement should all else be right for you. Employers are wanting to make sure your expectations are not out of line or that you are not asking too much based on your experience so be conservative until you know they want you.” 

My take: This was the best answer of the bunch and pretty similar to my own thinking on the matter. I’m glad somebody is taking the time to actually try and explain the EMPLOYER’S point of view on this issue, since having an empathic understanding of the needs/agenda of your “customer” is always a great thing in any sales situation, including an interview. So bravo, answerer #2!

Click through to read his full posting. I am aligned with his thinking on this question.

How would, how do you answer this question?

"The data is bad, and the studies are wrong'

From The Center for American Progress, the devil is in the details:

“In 2009, federal civil servants earned average pay and benefits of $123,049. Employees in the private sector made $61,051 in total compensation,” the Inky’s editorial board said, referring to a misleading USA Today article that we called out in October. The Timeslikewise gave voice to a CATO Institute report that “found that federal civilian workers had an average annual wage of $81,258 in 2009, compared with $50,464 for the nation’s private-sector workers.”

Again, for the hearing impaired: The data is bad, and the studies are wrong. For the straight dope read today’s Progress Report analysis and Lauren Smith’s “Correcting Myths About Federal Pay: Conservatives Compare Apples to Oranges.”