But I Don't Want to Show You Mine Before You Show Me Yours!
I was recently asked "How can I avoid disclosing my current salary when talking with recruiters about a new position? I am grossly underpaid and don't want that to influence my future salary."
Simple: If you want to move forward with the discussion, disclose your salary.
Sorry, but as a all the recruiters are telling you, and I as an HR manager for nearly 20 years am telling you now, it does nobody any good if you waste time playing games about your current salary.
Note that I am telling you what works in the US, in large public companies.
You can also disclose that you are underpaid as present, that that is part of the reason you are considering new opportunities, and that you have done your research and know that your skills and experience in the marketplace are valued in the range of "XXX to XXX". If you are underpaid, the recruiter will know that, because they see candidate salary information many times a day.
Remember, this is not really a negotiation. The company has a range they are willing to spend, based on their detailed knowledge of what labor costs in the local marketplace. They know what they pay the two dozen other people with your skills and experience that are already in the company. And only stupid companies (i.e., ones you do not want to work for) try to find the cheapest candidate or the cheapest price. Why? Because such candidates will typically not work out -- either they will underperform OR they will get recruited by a competitor who is willing to pay market rate.
So don't waste time dancing around the question. Hit it head on. Frankly, as someone involved with a lot of hiring, if a candidate plays games in this discussion, that's a BIG RED FLAG. We typically move on to people who are more mature with their approach to this process.
Sorry, but as a all the recruiters are telling you, and I as an HR manager for nearly 20 years am telling you now, it does nobody any good if you waste time playing games about your current salary.
Note that I am telling you what works in the US, in large public companies.
You can also disclose that you are underpaid as present, that that is part of the reason you are considering new opportunities, and that you have done your research and know that your skills and experience in the marketplace are valued in the range of "XXX to XXX". If you are underpaid, the recruiter will know that, because they see candidate salary information many times a day.
Remember, this is not really a negotiation. The company has a range they are willing to spend, based on their detailed knowledge of what labor costs in the local marketplace. They know what they pay the two dozen other people with your skills and experience that are already in the company. And only stupid companies (i.e., ones you do not want to work for) try to find the cheapest candidate or the cheapest price. Why? Because such candidates will typically not work out -- either they will underperform OR they will get recruited by a competitor who is willing to pay market rate.
So don't waste time dancing around the question. Hit it head on. Frankly, as someone involved with a lot of hiring, if a candidate plays games in this discussion, that's a BIG RED FLAG. We typically move on to people who are more mature with their approach to this process.