Do you talk numbers with headhunters?

I'm sort of in a similar spot. I recently had a first round HR Interview for a job that seems kind of interesting but was a bit "left field" for me given my interests. Nonetheless, it's always good to do interview practice.

I brought up compensation during the Q&A and asked her for a rough range. The range she provided was huge (low end to the high end was a $100K/year difference in base salary). I was dumbfounded at how big the range was, and she said that's because they are super open to the type of person they are willing to hire as it relates to experience. She then asked me for my comp, and I told her what I was roughly making and what the bare minimum base should be for me to consider. In hindsight, that was a mistake. I should have started with what I actually want and say explicitly that's my preferred range and go from there. Now, I'm concerned about being lowballed.

However, the way out, if you were to get an offer, is to say that the initial number you threw around was simply a bare minimum to stay in the conversation and that what you really need to seriously consider leaving your current role is "X".

For recruiters I was always pretty liberal with the range I gave them on my current salary. But I agree with above - take the conversation towards your salary requirements for the new gig.

Always make them give you a number first.

I think there's already been some great advice given on how to handle Recruiters and comp questions. However, I would like to provide advice as to the particular "Pickle" you described with providing a comp number that is undervalued to the responsibilities of the position, and how to rectify the situation.

In this particular instance, honesty is the best policy and having had conversations like this before, I would highly recommend a similar approach. I would tell the interviewers if comp came up in the discussion, "The comp I gave the recruiter were based off of initial conversations before we dove into specifics about any particular job. Having reviewed the requirements more thoroughly, and given the time commitment I see this job requiring of me to do a proper and thorough job. I would be more comfortable and happier earning around $XXX,XXX.XX. I would love to hear your thoughts on where this lies on your spectrum and where we might come to an agreement?"

Basically I provided a long winded example of, be straight forward, don't bullshit, and simply have a conversation with them. Comp is a big deal, and can be a non-starter. Best to lay the cards out on the table to see if there is mutual agreement.. and if not, how can you go about reaching agreement.