Ask HN: How to present compensation as priority in interviews?

I would like to avoid discussion of passions and motivations. I am seeking top of market compensation for top of market engineering talent, but don't want to be overly blunt in presenting this. I do want to filter out interviewers who are looking to use desirability of position as leverage for lower compensation. My ideal position is a company that is having trouble finding talent for clear business needs and will pay accordingly, but I'm unsure of how to word this on initial phone screens.

Χαίρετε! Try this word-track...

'Thrilled we could make this call happen. I've read the position summary, did some research on your company. I'm very interested. However, I want to respect your time. Before we dive too deep, would you be able to share the compensation band for this role?'

A seasoned interviewer isn't solely looking for low-priced candidates. Several criteria go into determining a good match...(skills, experience, & cultural fit). High price point candidates often win by demonstrating value-- essentially, CAN YOU do the job? WILL you do the job? and Can they LIVE with you?

I always say, if I were to get a competing offer from would you be able to match it?

They get the message pretty quickly

You might want to aim at industries that are seen as less desirable or trendy but have real technical problems that you'd be good at solving. It's even better if you are directly tied to a revenue generation process. Hedge funds come immediately to mind.