Hiring managers will want to know what salary you seek so they know if you fall within their ballpark.. However, if your number is lower or higher than the position offers, two things can happen if you give them a number before learning the salary range the position actually offers. 

You can undercut your worth in the hope that it will help you receive the job offer. This method can work in reverse. It decreases your perceived value and may actually cost you the position or get you a position for much lower than the prospective employer might have offered. If the salary you seek is much higher than the salary range, it can automatically put you in the “screened out” pile. (Continued below.)