I had my first opportunity to field this question last week! I asked the manager what he thought a fair amount was given his knowledge of both the duties and my skill set. We both knew my skills are far beyond what the job requires. Surprisingly, he stated he'd looked at market standards for a CSW in medical fields and told me the average was far above what I could get from them. He told me their opening salary and I went halfway between that and what I made at my last position. He immediatley accepted and stated that was what HR told him he could offer. It was easy and I felt it was fair, given cutbacks in so many programs and my need to support my family. If I'd wanted more, it probably would be the wrong job for me overall. Salary is important but so are benefits; from insurance packages provided by the company or agency to flexible scheduling when needed, those can mean a lot to a person at the point in their career that I am.

It takes a politician's answer to navigate successfully around this interview question. I try to shift the focus to my education, strengths, or anything that makes me unique or stand out from other employers then mention that I'm willing to negotiate based on starting salary.

Certainly, you have the ability to speak with other people doing a similar job, and asking what salary range they are in. You also have resources on the web to help give salary information. The hard part is people want to attach too much value to experience. While I agree experience matters, if you attach too much value, you have a better chance of losing the opportunity. I typically look at what I have to make to pay my bills, and add 10K-20K as a first swipe. Then the typical question is "what do you have to make", at that point I know the interest is there so I go cost plus 5K to 7K depending on my interest of the job. If all works out I have a job that pays all my bills, and leaves me money to build life. If you don't decide what you have to have, you cannot know if you can take a position or not. I want to know what I have to have, and then check with people in like positions to make sure I am not going too high or too low. If you get to salary negotiations you are doing pretty good. Employers appreciate it, as they don't want to waste time on unrealistic endeavors. Good Question...

I agree with Mark, research your market and look at your experience. It's TOUGH to determine what you are worth, but you can definitely do it.

Check out these salary calculators and see if that helps. https://www.themuse.com/advice/6-times-you-can-use-a-free-salary-calculator-to-get-ahead-in-your-career

I research what the average market salary is for the position then factor in education level, experience, and any exceptional skills. Luckily, I've never been asked that question but I have negotiated salaries after an offer has been made.