Workplace How do you respond to salary inquiry from potential employers?

I agree...you must be honest about current salary. This has not been in my favor throughout my career because with every job I have been paid under market rates when I was looking for my next job. But I told them the truth anyway...what I do do is tell them the range of other jobs I am currently interviewing for and/or have pending offers for....so they can focus on what the competition is offering me not what my current salary is. I give them a range of about $20k ...with the low amount being the bare minimum I'd leave for and the highest being a dream that may not be attainable....with the view that they will meet me in the middle somewhere. The key is to also know what they can realistically offer up front. Do your research via friends that may know people who work there and use Vault.com message boards where people share info on offers they are getting in the company. I typically was able to find out what others there were making or what they could offer. If you have any friends in HR jobs they can be a useful resource for information and may have friends they can call to get insight into the salary range that the company can offer.

This seems to have worked thusfar as from my first job to second job I got a $30k jump and from my second to current job I got a $47k jump. And ladies DO negotiate...so many women do not and that is a large part of the salary gap between us and men. Men are not afraid to ask for what they feel they are worth. Women too often accept the first offer. I went to a legal conference and in a room full of female lawyers who negotiate for a living when they asked how many negotiated their salary only handful raised their hand!!

I hope this helps.