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Discussion on: Should I share my current salary with recruiters?

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Christopher J. Stehno

It depends... early in your career you may be trying to advance your position and may therefore be trying to get into one with a potentially-higher salary than what you have been making. If you are making 30k and the position you want averages at 50k, telling the recruiter that you make 30k is going to tell them they can low-ball you and bring you into the position at a lower rate, like 40k since it will still be a step up for you.

On the flip side of that, as you become more experienced in your career you may be making a higher salary than average, so telling the recruiter right off the bat what you make, and what you would be expecting sets the bar so that they don't bring you positions you would not be interested in, due to a lower salary.

I have always hated that question and have generally tried to turn it back on them, stating a range of what you would be comfortable making in a position rather than giving my actual salary. It's not really any of their business and what you currently make has no bearing on what another company should pay you.

This is not to say that salary is everything, but that's what the question was related to.