Interview : Not wanting to answer, directly, "How much are you currently earning"

RangeR

Guys,

Would appreciate some input. If one was to go to an interview and the interviewer asks "So what are you currently on?", how best to answer if you don't want to tell them the actual answer.

I'm exceptionally underpaid for my role, experience, and skills. Hence my moving on. However, if I answer that question directly, there will be a perception from the interviewer that I'm shooting above my pay scale. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Input welcome. What would be a nice dodge. I don't want to lie and would prefer not to talk down my existing employer.

All about Eve

Lie, they have no way of knowing what you earn now. I always add on a bit to my salary when i go for interviews. my friend is on 26k and went to an interview last week she lied and said she earned 29k and now got the job and they gave her 29,500 k

RangeR

Hmmm, in this instance it will come back to bite me. When they get my P45, they will see my real income.

I'd prefer a dodge, rather than an outright lie.

Lux23

Ah you will have the job by then or you could say I am earning x amount but a big reason for why I am leaving my job is for financial reasons.

All about Eve

is it a big company? if so the finance department and accounts will be the ones dealing with your P45 and they will not check to see what you had been earning.

syklops

Use the "including perks" keyword, this can obfuscate it quite a bit. In various places I have worked I got stuff like free t-shirts, and free books and even free training. So include an estimate of those, on top of your salary. Also dont forget your heath insurance. If your company contributes 100 a month to it, then thats an extra 1k a year. It all adds up.

Bogger77

re: P45
It's possible to get revenue to send your employers a cert of your available tax credits, and not give them your cv. a call to revenue paye should point you in right direction.

RangeR

Lux23 wrote: »

Ah you will have the job by then or you could say I am earning x amount but a big reason for why I am leaving my job is for financial reasons.

If I tell the truth and I say I'm currently earning 20k but I want 40k, they will automatically have a mental block in that I want to double up my salary. They will lower their going rate to €25k. I don't want to have that discussion. I also don't want to be put in a position where the boss comes to me with my P45 in hand and asks "I thought you were on €35k"? It's more about respect, trust and honesty. I would not stay in a job if I have no respect for my employ or couldn't trust them to some extent. I would expect nothing less from them in return. I'm not going to be put in a position where I prove I'm an untruthful person on day one.

All about Eve wrote: »

is it a big company? if so the finance department and accounts will be the ones dealing with your P45 and they will not check to see what you had been earning.

It's a very small company [<20]. This will not go unmissed.

RangeR

syklops wrote: »

Use the "including perks" keyword, this can obfuscate it quite a bit. In various places I have worked I got stuff like free t-shirts, and free books and even free training. So include an estimate of those, on top of your salary. Also dont forget your heath insurance. If your company contributes 100 a month to it, then thats an extra 1k a year. It all adds up.

Winner

kildare.17hmr

told this lie in my interview for my current job. I got the salary i wanted and did not give them my p45. Just rang revenue and got my tax credits ect which i passed on to new employer. This was no problem and was all the info they required

Frank Black

Best way to deal with a question you don’t want to answer is to not answer it – listen to some political interviews to see how the experts do it.
If asked at the interview ‘What is your current salary?’ Say something along the lines of ‘Well, for me salary isn’t the prime motivating factor – though it obviously is an important factor, Of more importance is the type of work I’ll be undertaking and the general ethos of the company I’m working for”
You don’t necessarily have to believe any of this but it avoids answering the question.

RangeR

black francis wrote: »

listen to some political interviews to see how the experts do it

True, but if I ask someone a question and they dodge it like that. I'll ask the same question again and again. I wouldn't let it drop. To me, there is something to hide.

Anywho, I've got my answer. I just quote my "package".

Hmmm, I probably should have gone anon for this Too late now.

Hi current employ.
/me waves nervously [better get this damn job]

syklops

black francis wrote: »

Best way to deal with a question you don’t want to answer is to not answer it – listen to some political interviews to see how the experts do it.
If asked at the interview ‘What is your current salary?’ Say something along the lines of ‘Well, for me salary isn’t the prime motivating factor – though it obviously is an important factor, Of more importance is the type of work I’ll be undertaking and the general ethos of the company I’m working for”
You don’t necessarily have to believe any of this but it avoids answering the question.

I recommend against this. If you dodge the question they will know you dodged the question as they are probably filling in a little form with your answers. This will then make them wonder whether you understood the question, or make them suspicious about your current employment status. With the current climate, where there are 450,000 other people who they can choose instead of you, you dont want any question marks on their notes on you.

If your current salary is low either tell them truth but giving a reason for it, e.g.:

"Well I am on 20k at the minute, which is lower than what I would ask for in this job. The reason for this is I opted to take my current job over ones with more money, because it gave me an opportunity to expand my knowledge in <an area or technology relevant to the job you are applying for>"

Or lie to them and say you are on around 30k. Dodging questions and telling half-truths will only put you into the maybe-if-we-get-nothing-better pile.

daigo75

I normally don't answer that question, and I reply with something that can me summarized in "to do the job X, I'd want Y" (of course, I say it more politely ). If they insist, I highlight that what I earn in my current job is irrelevant, especially if I'm having an interview for a different position. "Don't mix apples and potatoes" is a concept that everybody learns in primary school, after all.

syklops

RangeR wrote: »

Winner

Dont forget to include your bonuses(if any) too. If you were on 20k, but got 10% performance bonus at christmas, then you earnt 22k last year.

LeeHoffmann

maybe a combination of these ideas - i.e. - including perks, benefits, expenses etc, I'm on <whatever it is> but, considering the skills, level of experience and track record I now have, I'd be looking at earning <whatever it is> in my next position.

Good luck RangeR

Faolchu

you dont have to give them your P45 when you start. you can lodge your P45 directly with the Revenue and you are put on what is known as "week 1 basis" (or something like that) your new tax cert is processed and your new employer is sent it out without seeing your P45,

i was asked at an interview my currently salary i said 45K (was on 38K) and they offered me 46K to work for them, didnt want them to know i'd fibbed and spoke to the revenue and they advised me on the above. hope it helps, the only down side is you're on emergency tax for a while til the cert is issued

Bandana boy

tell them an inflated figure ,if they say something when your p45 arrives just say you took a temporary pay cut this year to pay for a course, because the company was in trouble, a months unpaid etc etc

harney

You could try and turn the question back on them saying you are leaving because you are paid quite low and asking what the pay range is for the new role?

RangeR

Cheers. Interview over. Went well. Question never popped up. I'm sure there will be a second interview. Whether I'm called or not, is another thing