Never Answer What Your Current Salary Is In An Interview — Here Is Why

“What is your current salary” is one of the most common questions you’ll be asked in an interview. But you should never answer this question and be ready to accept they might not choose you anymore.

Here is what you can do to deal with this question.

The Reason This Question Is Asked

The reason for this question is pretty simple. Salaries are one of the hugest cost factors for companies, and minimizing those is one of their main goals.

Why should a company pay you 200k if your previous salary was only 120k? Well, that’s at least their reasoning. Especially when your previous and future tasks are comparable, why should you magically be worth so much more?

Having a number at hand makes it pretty easy for them to negotiate with you. A little more salary is okay but too much? Nah! If you give them a number, they pretty much got you. They’ll be able to determine what to pay you to still be attractive for a job switch, and always have a reason for why they won’t pay you more.

How To Deal With This Question

Never. Ever. Answer. This. Question. Period.