Should I lie about my salary in an interview in order to get a higher offer?

Although many companies may ask about your current salary, know that your salary is confidential between you and your employer — and you are actually not obligated to share your last-drawn salary with potential employers.

However, while it is not the best practice for employers, some companies really do make it mandatory for you to provide your previous payslips to verify your last-drawn salary.

You should never lie during the interview process. Instead, here are some ways you can tackle this question:

• Benchmark it to industry standards - do your homework for this one!

• Sell the skills, experience and how you can value-add to the company, like what Justin mentioned. Use this to justify a higher salary.

• If you really do have to share your current salary, and it is lower than market rates, share why you decided to take that role and why your salary expectations have increased (e.g. previous role was your first job, and you wanted to get into a role that provided you with a certain type of exposure, and you now have developed certain valuable competencies)

• Share that you'd be more comfortable answering this question towards the end of the interview, or later in the recruitment process - after you have gotten a deeper understanding of the responsibilities & demands of the job

We've written about this tricky process of answering expected salary questions in this article. Included 4 ways to approach the interview question, 4 common mistakes to avoid, and examples of how you can phrase your answer to prep for your next interview :) All the best!​​​

Hi Anon! I think lying about your salary reflects badly about your character, even if the employer never finds out, but it's generally not something you should do. I understand that salary is a sensitive topic especially with a potential new employer, but find ways to deflect the question and mention that the salary is still negotiable. The salary for the same role in various companies (MNC or SME) will vary as well. Go in with an open mind and share more about your past achievements, what you bring to the table for your new employer, and think about what opportunities lies ahead of you! After all, salary can be negotiable, and will generally increase over time. Good luck! :)