As the title states, how do you guys respond to this question? It aggravates me to see “we offer a competitive salary” in the job description, and pisses me off even more to then be asked what my salary expectations are. Since I am in dire need of a position in my field that has a minimum monthly salary (I'm a third-country national in Europe), I usually bend over backwards and give them the minimum that I'm legally required to earn in hopes that I'm offered something before I go absolutely broke.
I am curious how the rest of you, perhaps especially those of you secure in your field with experience or greater leverage, tackle this bullshit?