The salary expectations question arrives at the worst possible moment: the first call, before anyone has decided they want you, when you have the least leverage you'll ever have in the process. Answer too high and you risk being filtered out. Answer too low and you've set the ceiling for the entire negotiation.
Most candidates handle it by improvising. Don't.
What the recruiter is actually doing
The recruiter isn't negotiating. That comes months later. They're doing two things: checking you're inside the band for the role, and, at some companies, writing down a number that will resurface at offer time as "you said X." Both cases reward the same behavior: a researched range, stated calmly, framed as flexible.
Prepare the number before the call
Look up the role's band before you dial in. levels.fyi for the company and level, plus recent data points for your market. You're looking for two numbers: the median total comp for the level, and the top of the band. Your stated range should start at or slightly above the median and extend toward the top. Naming a range whose bottom you'd be unhappy with is the most common self-inflicted wound in the process, because recruiters hear the bottom of a range as "this is acceptable."
Three answers that work
The researched range: "Based on the market for this level, I'm looking at total comp in the range of X to Y, but the full package and the role itself matter more to me than a single number." Confident, informed, flexible.
The deflection with a floor: "I'd rather learn more about the role before pinning a number, but to make sure we're not wasting each other's time — I wouldn't move for less than X total." Works when you genuinely don't know the company's bands yet.
The turn-around: "What's the band for this role at this level?" Many jurisdictions now require disclosure, and many recruiters will simply tell you. Asking costs nothing and frequently gets you the real answer before you've revealed anything.
What not to do
Don't give your current salary. It's irrelevant to the new role's band, and in many places the question itself is illegal. "I'd rather focus on what this role is worth" is a complete answer.
Don't say "I'm flexible" with nothing attached. Pure flexibility reads as "I'll take whatever," and the offer will reflect that.
Don't apologize. Candidates who deliver their range apologetically get treated like the number was aspirational. State it like you're reporting the weather.
If they push for a single number
Give the top of your researched range, minus nothing. Single-number anchors only move down from wherever you start. The one-sentence version to memorize: "If I had to name one number, X — but I'm evaluating the whole package."
The expectations question is a preparation test dressed up as small talk. Treat it that way and it becomes one of the easiest questions in the loop.