How to answer the salary question?

[Anonymous]

I'm back in the job market after a very extended period of time off for personal reasons and I'm having some difficulty in answering the "what are your salary requirements" question. It is being asked very early in initial phone screens by HR recruiters (before I'm even speaking to a hiring manager) and I'm struggling to answer it because i'm applying to jobs/industries that i do not have a background in (but have academic training/degrees in) and I do not have a good frame of reference.

I worry about stating a salary or range that is too high and scares the company off before I even have a in-person interview with the hiring manager but I am also fearful of lowballing and leaving way too much money on the table.

Times like this, I appreciate the Federal service such as State and FBI where they are upfront during recruiting and tell you what gs/fs level you will come in at.

I could use Glassdoor but I dislike it since it is not specific enough and the ranges when I look up positions at companies are huge.

Also when I ask what the salary range in which they would like to fill the position, the HR recruiter states "I can't divulge that at this time". It is very frustrating.

Any tips?