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Oldest comments (33)
Personally, I don't even think that's a question they should be asking. In my last interview, I was asked the question but I really didn't reply :)
I kind of just swung around and luckily for me the recruiter was ok with me doing that and just continued. Was the right move though because I am pretty certain I would have been offered a lower rate if I had given out that info.
Avoid if possible, if you canβt maybe tell them the salary you believe you should be earning.
No. Rather, if their offer is too low, just tell them it's to low.
You can say, sorry, I can't disclose that information.
Otherwise they can use the info to tone their proposal down.
I never share that info with recruiters or even if I'm being interviewed I don't answer that question because, and excuse my brashness here, it is none of their business.
No. No. And not at all. :)
I don't think you should. If they demand it, then tell them no thank you and hang up.
Something similar was asked a while back, there were some helpful answers in that post:
Why do recruiters ask for current salary?
Cristiano Almeida γ» Apr 16 γ» 1 min read
My rule of thumb is to only start discussing minimum salary-requirements if you're moving on to an in-person interview: basically, why waste the drive and the PTO to be interviewed if there's no possibility that they're going to meet your salary minimums.
No no no. It's even illegal to ask in a lot of states in the US. I know it is here in Washington at the least. Check in with regulations in your area and know your rights ahead of time.
Some other good responses:
"I'd rather not share that right now, I'd prefer to focus on the value that I can add to your company and this offer"
"I have an ethical concern with disclosing how my current employer compensates their employees, so I can't share that information with you"
The last one I would withhold unless they're being pushy, since it can come across overly strong in certain situations. It's a great one though, since the recruiter would have to knowingly ask you to compromise your ethics to get you to respond, and if that's the case that would be a good sign to look elsewhere.
I am not aware of any law prohibiting recruiters from asking your current salary in Washington state. (Perhaps you mean DC, but just throwing this out there.) California definitely made the question illegal since it unfairly disadvantages women who are typically paid less than male counterparts in the same role. All states should adopt such legislation.
Never!
The company has already much more information about the market that you have.
The single information they lack is "what is the minimum amount of money is this person ready to work for".
Release this information early in the process and you are basically trying to strike a deal naked.
This is a post I read everytime I talk about new opportunities.
In it, it goes over salary stuff and negotiating. By giving them the number, you give them the ability to lower your expectations. Whereas if you make them propose that number you have more negotating power.
kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-ne...
Nnnnno, at any cost - keep it private! It is confidential, first of all, and could be a reason for unsuccessful negotiations.
In New Zealand its a pretty common question that recruiters ask. I have no problem with it given that most realise they need to get the company they are recruiting for to offer something better in order for me to consider a move.
I think its good for at least ball-park salary expectations of both parties to be discussed early in the recruitment process, otherwise we could end up wasting each others time.
At times when answering this question I have added $5k or more to what I currently earn to ensure any change in jobs will result in a pay rise even if the new company thinks they are only offering the same or a small increase :)
But isn't better for them to ask what your "desired" salary is instead?
You should absolutely not. It disadvantages you during the process and will make negotiation harder if you get an offer.
Just focus on demonstrating why you are a great candidate.
When I've worked with recruiters, I've mostly just discussed the "what I want" salary.
When discussing my current salary, I always add to it.