A mind at work. Microsoft MVP && Passionate .NET dev lead && VP, Innovation and Products at SCT Software. Opinions here are mine. Trying to be all the human I can be with the time I have.
Sharing salary information with a potential employer or recruiter can typically only hurt your interests; rarely does it help you.
What you are looking to figure out is the market rate for what this organization is willing to pay you. By sharing your salary information, you are immediately putting a cap on your expectations and their expectations and messing with that concept. You may have limited yourself without ever knowing it, and any increase you negotiate will be against that prior number. In short -- when you provide a number, companies can benchmark their offer against it; when you don't, they have to gauge a salary against the competitive rates in the market without any cap from you. That can be the difference between 15% and 40% or more.
I've practiced two answers pretty thoroughly over the years -- you can redirect the conversation in polite but firm ways without losing even a little bit of positivity. If you stay upbeat and confident, they're forced to move on.
When someone asks me for my salary history: "Oh, no worries, I don't typically talk about salary at this point. I want to see if an organization is the right fit for me first."
If someone is insistent: "Since this is a new position, I don't consider my salary history relevant, as it's about the impact I'll be bringing for the company and what value the company places on that impact."
If they say they can't continue without placing a number in a system, I'll helpfully offer: "Oh, just try putting in $1; that should get you past the system but will be clear that we still need to have a discussion about it."
If for some reason they're still adamant at this point, then IMO they are trying to exploit you, and you should move on.
When someone asks me what I'm looking to make: "I see that more as a process of discovery. Money aside, I know I have a potential to make a big impact here. Assuming you feel the same way at the end of this process (and I hope you will!), it will be important for me to know what value the company places on that impact, because it helps me better understand whether I'll be a fit."
I practiced a few variations of that (out loud!) until it felt comfortable to say. I've used it many times, and I've gotten several big salary jumps partly due to it.
One drawback: This means you will get later into conversations before you get to the salary talk. This is good for you -- they already like you if you got that far! -- but it can lead to some big mismatches in expectations. However, this sets you up to negotiate for other benefits if you're far apart on salary. It also builds your network even if it doesn't work out, because the employer will have wanted to hire you. Lastly, it will help you better target organizations and roles where your compensation goals might be met.
Happy searching!
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Sharing salary information with a potential employer or recruiter can typically only hurt your interests; rarely does it help you.
What you are looking to figure out is the market rate for what this organization is willing to pay you. By sharing your salary information, you are immediately putting a cap on your expectations and their expectations and messing with that concept. You may have limited yourself without ever knowing it, and any increase you negotiate will be against that prior number. In short -- when you provide a number, companies can benchmark their offer against it; when you don't, they have to gauge a salary against the competitive rates in the market without any cap from you. That can be the difference between 15% and 40% or more.
I've practiced two answers pretty thoroughly over the years -- you can redirect the conversation in polite but firm ways without losing even a little bit of positivity. If you stay upbeat and confident, they're forced to move on.
I practiced a few variations of that (out loud!) until it felt comfortable to say. I've used it many times, and I've gotten several big salary jumps partly due to it.
One drawback: This means you will get later into conversations before you get to the salary talk. This is good for you -- they already like you if you got that far! -- but it can lead to some big mismatches in expectations. However, this sets you up to negotiate for other benefits if you're far apart on salary. It also builds your network even if it doesn't work out, because the employer will have wanted to hire you. Lastly, it will help you better target organizations and roles where your compensation goals might be met.
Happy searching!