I was looking for a job 2 months ago, and a couple of recruiters did ask me this question (not all of them!).
They always were a bit taken aback I didn't answer. They usually responded saying "oh but it for the process blabla".
I don't think being confrontational about it would help. Sometimes the recruiter just accepted my answer and moved on - no worries there. :)
One of the most salient features of our Tech Hiring culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted.
I understand your position, this was basically my approach one year ago.
But then I realized that if they try to trick me to underpaid, they probably do the same for all the colleagues too. So I am not satisfied with "it didn't work on me, so this is fine". I don't want to work in a company where my colleagues who do the same job are paid 10-30% less, just because they are bad at talking about money. Or maybe just because they are women.
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
I was looking for a job 2 months ago, and a couple of recruiters did ask me this question (not all of them!).
They always were a bit taken aback I didn't answer. They usually responded saying "oh but it for the process blabla".
I don't think being confrontational about it would help. Sometimes the recruiter just accepted my answer and moved on - no worries there. :)
I understand your position, this was basically my approach one year ago.
But then I realized that if they try to trick me to underpaid, they probably do the same for all the colleagues too. So I am not satisfied with "it didn't work on me, so this is fine". I don't want to work in a company where my colleagues who do the same job are paid 10-30% less, just because they are bad at talking about money. Or maybe just because they are women.