Should I Lie About My Current Salary?

Negotiating salary when interviewing for a job is always awkward and tricky. In particular, many job seekers struggle with the question "What is your current salary?" Answering honestly might cause employers to make a lower salary offer than they would otherwise have made. For this reason, many job seekers are tempted to lie about their current salary, but there are several strong arguments against lying in a job interview.

If you lie about your current salary, you might be able to persuade the recruiter to offer a higher salary, but you will start your employment at the company with a lie. If the falsehood is revealed, it is likely your employer will lose respect and trust in you. This is a terrible position to be in, so it's always best to avoid telling an outright lie in a job interview.

There is also the possibility that you could quote an unrealistically high salary, leading recruiters to assume that their company cannot offer you a deal that will tempt you to switch roles. You could miss out on an offer that you would have accepted as a result of telling a lie.

However, just because you should avoid lying doesn't mean that you have to immediately offer your current salary to any recruiter who asks. When faced with the question about your current salary, take the opportunity to talk about what you would like to earn in your new position. This is a much more useful discussion to have with a recruiter and could lead to you getting a great package of benefits, as well as a decent paycheck each month.

If you do end up disclosing your current salary to the interviewer, take the chance to explain why you think you deserve a significantly higher salary in the new position. Perhaps your last job was with a small business that could not budget for a larger wage, or perhaps you gained experience while working in your current position that makes you a much more valuable asset. Remember to keep the focus of the salary negotiations on your skills and experience, as well as the value that you can bring to the new employer, rather than getting sidetracked by discussions about why you accepted a low salary in your current position.

Although lying about your current salary, or any other aspect of your career, is never a good job interview strategy, you can choose how you approach salary negotiations. No matter what happens during the discussion of your current salary, always bring the conversation back to what you can offer to the new employer or company. This way, you can ensure that you get the salary you deserve in your new role.

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