Deflect the Number Question
Never name your figure first; make them reveal the range instead
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 92%
A decision framework for handling the recruiter's 'How much do you want to make?' question so you avoid anchoring yourself into a ceiling. Use it whenever comp comes up before you understand the full scope of the role. The core move is to politely refuse to name a number and redirect the question back to them.
Origin
Warwick notes that 'how much do you want to make?' is eerily similar to the illegal 'how much do you make?' question, and that whatever you say becomes your ceiling because they will split the difference downward. He learned it as a $14/hour marketing director who deflected with 'What did you have in mind?' and jumped to $120,000 in a single month.
Core principles
- 01Never be so sure of your worth that you wouldn't accept more
- 02When you anchor, that's the ceiling
- 03If you have the ability to say no, you have infinite power
- 04Whoever reveals information first is at a disadvantage
- 05Scope creep during interviews means an early number will be used against you
How to run it
- 1
Politely decline to name a number
Say: 'I don't talk about compensation until we're ready to make an offer. It sounds like we're pretty far away there. I'd love to learn more about the team and where the value comes in. Is that a problem?'
Pro tip Americans especially struggle to say no; being direct here reads as confidence, not rudeness.
Watch out If you are unemployed and need to pay the mortgage, naming a number to get a job is fine — power comes from the ability to say no.
- 2
If pushed, redirect with 'What did you have in mind?'
When they insist they need a number, reframe: 'I'm uncomfortable with that right now because I don't understand the scope. Can you help me understand what you had in mind?'
Pro tip Their stated range ('110 to 130') lets you respond 'I'm on the upper end of that now' without ever revealing your true starting point.
- 3
Trap them with a positive reputation
Praise the behavior you want: 'I want to thank you for being an advocate for me and respecting that I won't share figures right now.' Now they must either live up to that reputation or admit they don't respect you.
Pro tip Giving someone a positive reputation they want to keep forces them to behave consistently with it.
In the wild
As a marketing director secretly making $14/hour, Warwick refused to reveal his wage to a recruiter and instead asked 'What did you have in mind?' They said 110-130k; he said he was at the upper end.
→ He went from $14/hour to $120,000/year in a single month.
A candidate anchors at $140k for a 'senior PM' role. Through interviews the role balloons into a director role leading five people, but the offer comes in 20% under the number — and when they push back, the company says 'but you said you only wanted 140.'
→ The early number is weaponized against the candidate, which deflecting would have prevented.
Common mistakes
Answering the number question early
Whatever you say becomes the ceiling and gets used against you after the role's scope expands.
Treating a recruiter's stated range as your target
Naming any figure lets them split the difference downward; make them reveal first.
Is it for you?
Best for
Mid-to-senior candidates who are currently employed and can afford to hold the line
Not ideal for
Job seekers in financial distress who need the offer and cannot risk stalling the process
From the transcript
“I don't talk about compensation until we're ready to make an offer. It sounds like we're pretty far away there.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“And when you anchor, that's the ceiling.”
“if you have the ability to say no, you have infinite power.”
“positive reputation that they want to withhold whether they deserve it or not.”
From the episode
The tactical playbook for getting 20-40% more comp (without sounding greedy)
Jacob Warwick (Executive Negotiator)