Looking for a job?

Here's a blank you'll probably have to fill in: Salary requirement.

My initial reaction when faced with this question is “as much as I can get.” Who doesn't want to earn the highest possible salary for the job they're performing?

I've never been that honest on a job application. Maybe that's why I have a job.

I generally go with the “negotiable” response. Experts say it's OK, but sometimes there are better options.

It's time to stop looking at the salary question as a pain and start seeing it as the best chance to get a better deal from a future employer.

To name a price, find out how much other people in the job or in similar positions get paid.
Rebecca Rutledge, associate director of career services at St. Mary's University, recommends starting with The Salary Calculator at homefair.com. It's free. Select city and state, industry and job function, and you'll get an estimate of what someone in your job could expect to earn.

You could also try salary.com, Google, Yahoo! or the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Next, figure out how much more expensive or affordable your life would be if the job requires you to move.

Rutledge recommends using Sperling's Best Places cost-of-living calculator at bestplaces.net.

The site, also free, will tell you what your salary in one city would translate to in another.
 
To finish answering the salary requirement question, decide what you want and what it's worth to you.

Is a lower-paying job and higher rent worth it to live and work in Manhattan? Is there a certain price at which you'd rather move home than take a job? Do you yearn for months-long vacations?

“A company that offers generous vacation leave and a lower salary might be more attractive to someone who values work-life balance,” said Rhonda Boyles, director of Career Services at Our Lady of the Lake University.

If applying for your first job in an industry, Boyles recommends asking for near the lower end of a pay spectrum.

If you're filling out an online application and have to provide a specific salary figure, shoot for $30,000 a year on a job that's supposed to pay between $28,000 and $36,000. If you have the option of giving a range, suggest $30,000 to $33,000. If you have more experience, try asking for $33,000 to $36,000.

Don't ask for an artificially low offer to boost your chances of getting a job. Don't push for a ridiculously high offer because everyone deserves million-dollar paychecks.

It's like a real-life game of “The Price is Right.”