Have had almost every recruiter ask me for my current salary recently. My response: "typically people in my position at Deloitte have a base range of x and a bonus potential of y" Any thoughts?

The tip I received from one of the Directors I work with, "Never tell recruiter your salary. Upon asked previous salary, you can say something like - the work I'll be doing at the new firm is going to be different and hence it is not fair to compare whatever I was earning before with what I'll be earning in future. Ask them how much they will be paying you based on the new job you'll be doing without telling your current salary.". It completely made sense to me, only challenge is to say this to a recruiter with straight face...

Never ever give your salary amount! You will be selling yourself short every time. If they were planning on giving you a certain amount and then you lowball yourself you just saved them a couple grand they were planning on spending. The 🔑 is to never fold! Never ever fold! THEY want you tell them you salary! Let me tell you something... Stay away from THEY 🚷🚷🚷. Make sure that they always say the number first. If they really want you then they will try really hard to get you. But if you fold them U just played yourself!

I don't tell them salary, and stick to telling them my approximate total compensation (disclosing that's what it it's). That'll include 401k match, healthcare, bonus, salary (i don't itemize for them, though). When it's time to talk about an offer, declare that what you're looking for at minimum is a base that is around your current total.

You can present why you feel you should be paid X when offered Y, when negotiating

@ACN1 I love that strategy but just did that on a call and the recruiter asked me to break it down by base and bonus

If it's external recruiter though don't they want to get you higher salary? They actually cannot verify those numbers... I used higher reasonable range. When I got hired Acn kept trying to ask for my W2 to "verify my previous employment". Never give them that. They can reach out to hr for verification

Glad I read this thread

Would always give high end of range plus highest bonus potential, if they really insisted on having the info. Otherwise, I've defaulted to what PwC2 said

Give them a range, and they'll pick from the low end.

But would you lie? Or just tell them straight up

Do not lie. They can easily verify those numbers.

Yep that's a good point

Fantastic tip thank you

Yeah this was an external recruiter

Really appreciate this feedback

Agreed: never ever give them your salary.

Yep I just had another call and just told them my current package is X