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I personally do not feel comfortable with disclosing my current salary to
anyone.
I do give hints, if it asked for, like "this is the market rate, and in
relation to that rate, I am...." and I usually follow this with a rough
high/low type estimate. The crapper about this is I have been at the same
company over six years, and they don't really pay anyone close to "market
value" considering most surveys. Some of this is cost o' livin' (it is
cheaper to live around here than the coasts, for sure), but some of it is
just plain being cheap. You kind of have to be careful with negotiations if
you do make less than market. You can say "my boss is a cheapskate", but
the interviewer may hear "my boss thinks my performance sucks"
Like I said, I don't give out my current salary. If it's asked, I give them
a vague estimate. If that doesn't satisfy, and they press further, walk
away.
In actuality, you would be surprised how interviewers may react if you get
up, thank them for their time, and start walking away...
-Jason A. Buss
-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Margulis [mailto:margulis -at- mail -dot- fiam -dot- net]
Curmudgeon that I am, I'm a hard person to hire. I've never had to choose
between two offers and have often been in a financial situation where I
pretty much had to take the first thing that came along.
Nonetheless, I've always had the gumption to walk away from interviews like
the one you describe rather than cave to a question I did not want to
answer. The first question to ask yourself is, Would I want to work at a
place where someone can get away with that kind of arbitrary policy? I sure
as heck wouldn't.
That said, when it comes to salary, I was brought up to believe that it
should be the last thing discussed in an interview. First determine if there
is a good fit, in terms of skills, culture, duties, etc.; then decide if you
can come to an agreement about money.
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