What to Say When They Ask For Your Salary History

• Disclosing your salary can turn a potential double digit raise when changing jobs to a few percent raise. You could leave thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars on the table.

Instead:

I’m still trying to establish whether this role is a good fit for me. Why? What is this role worth to your company?

This is an excellent response, for three reasons.

1. It offers no information at all about your current compensation.
2. It puts the person who asked you at an informational disadvantage. It shows that your counterparty is getting closer to a “yes”. Prioritizing good mutual fit in your response telegraphs to them that you are not convinced yet. This is a better negotiating position for you: making them work to convince you gives you leverage.
3. It frequently yields a response in the form of the salary range that the employer is working with. I suspect this is out of a combination of surprise at being asked, and wanting to help make a good impression with you, the candidate, after learning that they haven’t convinced you to join yet.