OfferDrill.

Interview questions

The hard ones

Do you have to tell them your current salary?

In most cases, no — and in a growing number of states, they're not supposed to ask. This page gives you a short, honest way to move the conversation from what you've been paid to what the job pays, without stonewalling and without making anything up.

Why they ask it

Most of the time it's not a trap. It's an anchor. If they know your current number, the offer tends to get built around it instead of around the job's budget. Someone who's been underpaid for four years stays underpaid for four more.

Some of it is habit. Recruiters have asked this question for decades, and plenty of applicant systems still have a box for it. The person asking may not have thought about it at all. That matters, because your tone should match — this is a routine question you answer routinely, not an accusation you defend against.

And some of it is a real, fair concern hiding behind a bad question. They want to know if you're in the right range so nobody wastes three weeks. That concern deserves a real answer. You can give it to them without giving them your pay stub.

One thing worth knowing: several states and cities restrict employers from asking about salary history, including Illinois, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey, among others. The rules differ by place and by employer, and this isn't legal advice — check your state's labor department if you want specifics. What matters for your interview is simpler. You don't need to cite a statute to decline. Declining politely is normal everywhere.

What not to say

Inflating your current salary.

It's a lie, and it's the kind that gets found out. Background checks, W-2 requests at offer stage, a former manager who knows the pay bands. People have lost signed offers over this. You never have to say your number — but anything you do say has to be true.

"I'd rather not say, that's illegal to ask in this state."

You may be right. It still turns a ninety-second exchange into a standoff with a recruiter who probably didn't write the question. You can decline without the citation. Save the legal framing for a written complaint if it ever comes to that.

Giving the number because it feels rude not to.

This is the most common one, and it's the most expensive. You lose the ability to be paid what the role is worth. Politeness costs you nothing here — a warm, matter-of-fact redirect is polite. You're allowed to not answer a question and still be pleasant about it.

"What's the budget for the role?" and nothing else.

Answering a question with a question, with no number of your own, reads as evasive after the second round of it. Ask for their range — that's fair — but be ready to go first if they push back. Having no number at all looks like you haven't done your homework.

How to build a strong answer

  1. Decide your target range before the call.
    Not your current pay. What this job pays. Look at posted ranges for the same title in the same metro, ask two people in your field, check the state's pay transparency postings if there are any. Land on a range about [15-20] thousand wide where you'd genuinely accept the bottom. Write it on a sticky note. You want to say it without doing math out loud.
  2. Redirect in one sentence, then give them something useful.
    The move is: decline briefly, pivot to expectations, hand them a number. "I keep my current compensation private, but I'm targeting [range] for a role at this level." That's it. Don't explain why you're declining. Don't apologize. The number you give them is what keeps this from feeling like a wall.
  3. Stop talking.
    This is the hard part. After you say your range, be quiet. The silence will feel long and it isn't. People talk themselves down in that gap — "but I'm flexible, and honestly the number matters less than the work." Let them respond first.
  4. Have one answer ready for the second ask.
    Sometimes they push: "I need a number for the system," or "we verify current comp at offer." Repeat your range, calmly, once, in slightly different words. If a form field requires an entry, many people enter 0 or leave a note about their target. If a specific employer truly requires salary verification before an offer, they'll tell you in writing, and you can decide then. You don't have to resolve that in the phone screen.

Examples to adapt

These are shapes, not scripts. Say them in your own words with your own facts — anything in brackets is a detail only you know, and it has to be the true one.

You're mid-career and you know you're underpaid where you are.

I'd rather keep my current salary out of it, mostly because I took that role [several years ago] and the market's moved. What I can tell you is what I'm looking for now — I'm targeting [range] base for a role at this scope, and I'd want to understand the bonus structure before I got firm on that. Does that line up with what you've budgeted?

You give a true reason without making it a complaint about your employer. "The market's moved" is honest and universal. Then you hand them a range and turn it back to them with a real question. Adapt the wording — the shape is what matters, not the phrasing.

You're early career and don't have much salary history to speak of.

My last role was an internship, so I don't think that number tells you much about this one. Based on what I've seen for [job title] roles in [city], I'm looking at somewhere in the [range]. I'd rather focus on whether I'm the right fit for the work — but I wanted to give you a straight answer on the range so we're not guessing.

It's honest about having thin history and turns that into a reason the question isn't useful, not a weakness. Naming the research shows you prepared. Don't skip the number — for early-career candidates, a range is the thing that signals you're serious.

They ask a second time, or say they need it for the system.

I understand. I'm not going to share my current number, but I'm not trying to be difficult about the range — [range] base is where I am, and I'm comfortable if that's where the conversation goes. If the system needs something, put my target in. Is that range workable on your end?

You hold the line once, warmly, and immediately give them a way to move forward. "I'm not trying to be difficult" names the tension and defuses it. Most recruiters drop it here, because you've given them what they actually needed.

What comes next

Answer this one well and the interviewer usually goes here:

  • "What are you looking for?" — this is the good version of the question. Give your range, not a single number.
  • "What's your absolute minimum?" — you don't have to answer that either. "The bottom of my range is [number], and that assumes [benefits, remote, bonus] are in line."
  • "Is that negotiable?" — "There's some room depending on the full package." Then stop.
  • "Would you accept [a number below your range]?" — "That's below where I can go for this scope. Is there flexibility on your side?"
  • "What was your last bonus or equity?" — same question, different clothes. Same redirect.
  • "Why are you leaving your current role?" — often comes right after. Have a short, true answer that isn't about money, even if money is part of it.

Say it out loud before it counts.

Reading a good answer and giving one are different skills, and the gap shows up in the room. Offer asks you this question out loud, on a clock, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

You are allowed to not answer this question, and the people who ask it hear "I'd rather focus on the range for this role" far more often than you'd think — say it once, calmly, and let the room move on.