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Usually in salary negotiation interviewer ask about last salary and based on the information we provide they decide the salary to be offered. What is the best answer I should give them when they ask me about last salary? I don’t want to be rude or leave any bad impression on recruiter.

enderland
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MANISH KUMAR CHOUDHARY
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    "My previous salary is not relevant to the compensation I'm looking for". Be clear, ferm, direct, but not aggressive. And focus on your tone, it should remain at the same level as a normal conversation. – Radu Murzea Mar 24 '16 at 12:33
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    You should be completely up front with your previous salary and if it was too low for the work you should state that influenced your leaving the company. Salary negotiations shouldn't be based on trickery but rather fair pay for fair work. Be up front with what you are looking for and if your expectations are fair then you shouldn't have anything to worry about. –  Mar 24 '16 at 12:34
  • "I think it's a bit early to discuss salary. Can we table this until an offer is on the table?" – Old_Lamplighter Mar 24 '16 at 13:08
  • @RichardU this might be risky; they could not want to put time into it if they don't know how much the employee will cost... –  Mar 24 '16 at 13:18
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    My understanding is that people in India are considerably more open about salary than in the West. It would be great if someone with deeper cultural understanding for how this works in India could answer, as I think most perspective and answers here will be from people in countries other than India. – enderland Mar 24 '16 at 13:27
  • @enderland Ah, you're right about that. The culture in India also puts a greater emphasis of not wanting to offend than America (outside of college campuses) – Old_Lamplighter Mar 24 '16 at 13:54
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    @enderland If I remember right, paystub verification is actually a common practice there. – Lilienthal Mar 24 '16 at 15:16
  • @RichardU - don't get me started on college students and their propensity to be offended at everything. – AndreiROM Mar 24 '16 at 15:30

5 Answers5

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This is not about hiding your salary or divulging it is about playing percentages based on your current status.

For instance if I make 50K a year and I would like to make 55K a year, I would be a blatant idiot for not telling people my current salary. If what you want is a logical progression then just tell them.

Here is the key: If you don't tell them... as a hiring manager I would assume that either you are a very weird person to deal with or you made a very low amount of money. I like hiring weird people so I would offer you on the far low end of the salary range for the job.

What you are betting on: You basically have a very limited amount of time with a manager or recruiter to sell yourself on why you are so skilled or so wanted that they should be happy to have you at the X amount of money that you want. You have to know that some people will discard you right away so this is a high risk/high reward proposition, one with more risk if you are bad at selling yourself or truly don't have a unique skill to earn that amount of money.

So if you have a job and you are getting by on your current salary you could certainly risk not telling your current salary. You have to determine how overskilled or undercompensated you are currently. If you don't have a job and want to hide your last salary this could certainly backfire and keep you from getting a job.

The fact is there isn't a way to hide your salary or not. You can certainly say it is confidential or make up some story or just say you don't want to divulge. Most hiring managers would basically have the same reaction to all of these scenarios. We have heard it all. Unless you completely wow me you are getting the lowest range I would hire at - but maybe that is much much more than you are currently making.

blankip
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I wouldn't give my previous salary, it's none of their business. Instead, I give a figure that I expect to make. And then I say that that figure is contingent on what else apart from money would be part of my renumeration.

So if there were no benefits apart from money, I'd push my price up. But I wouldn't give my last salary unless it's close to what I want to make.

Kilisi
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    This feels very western oriented and not as applicable in India. – enderland Mar 24 '16 at 13:23
  • Possibly, makes no sense to give all the cards to the employer in a negotiation though. – Kilisi Mar 24 '16 at 13:24
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    It doesn't always work well in the west either. Some employers simply won't consider you if they don't know your salary. Also, I've been in situations where the company I was working for lost a contract re-compete, but I was asked to stay on, but only if I divulged my salary. Given the choice of divulging salary or unemployment, what would you do? (That's meant to be rhetorical, btw.) – GreenMatt Mar 24 '16 at 13:41
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    Good point, just wouldn't do it myself. – Kilisi Mar 24 '16 at 13:58
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    I respect the no-nonsense, common-sense approach of your answers. +1 – AndreiROM Mar 24 '16 at 15:23
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You should do some independent research and know what is realistic for the new position you are considering. Combined with your experience and financial requirements, you should be able to provide your salary expectation to the new company. e.g. "I know of these current openings for very similar positions with your competitors which are offering X starting salary." That's a much stronger argument than "I simply think I should make more."

Remember there are other benefits to consider as part of the total compensation package, so you will need to factor those into your thinking as well.

If the company really presses for your previous salary, don't lie. But make it clear that you are evaluating this new opportunity with a fresh perspective and don't feel there should be a strong direct link between the salaries of the two positions.

This may not be a particularly enlightened company with respect to compensation philosophy, so this early 'red flag' is something you should consider carefully before accepting an offer. Good luck!

mjulmer
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    so this early 'red flag' is something you should consider carefully before accepting an offer Does this also apply in India? This answer feels like it has a decidedly Western reading to it, too. – enderland Mar 24 '16 at 14:56
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Should you move to a western country, then when you are asked "What did you make in your last position", you answer by telling how much you would like to make in your new position. Example: "So, Mr or Mrs Manish, how much did you make in your last position?" "I'd like to make $xxxxx in my new position". Very rarely you will then hear: "I think you misunderstood, how much did you make in your last position? " "Oh, I did understand you, and I'd like to make $xxxxx in my new position".

gnasher729
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    -1 because this is not good advice, it only makes you look rude. An interview is not the time for snide remarks. – WalkerDev Mar 24 '16 at 14:38
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    I don't understand why so many people down-voted this answer. This is, in fact, the way in which I handled my last salary negotiations with a rather obnoxious recruiter. I said, I didn't feel comfortable disclosing my salary, but stated my intended income. He kept pushing, and seemed outraged that I wouldn't disclose the amount. The conversation got pretty tense, and I straight up told him he can tell his bosses, and his client that it's none of their business what I make, and that he can either take my expectations to them, or he can keep looking. I got the job. – AndreiROM Mar 24 '16 at 15:26
  • @UpAllNight so don't make the remark snidely. –  Apr 03 '16 at 04:37
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There are two ways to skirt that question. 1. you can say "it can not be disclosed to anyone other than your previous employer by your previous employment contract but it is in the ballpark of, say $75K and $85K". If you were making $70K before, it still is in the proverbial ballpark and technically is not a lie. 2. You can just fabricate a number. If they check this with your previous employer, I hope they have the decency of, and fear of being sued, that, they will not disclose this info to your potential employers. Of course if you are a junior employee and quote a salary, equivalent of a senior employee or a management position, it will not fly, but as long as you are realistic, nobody will be wiser.

MelBurslan
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