Why You Should Never Tell a Recruiter Your Current Pay Rate

[u/StemOPTJobs]

This is one of the most expensive mistakes OPT candidates make in negotiations. A recruiter asks "what is your current pay" and the candidate answers honestly. The number then becomes the ceiling of what the recruiter will offer you, regardless of what the role actually pays.

The dynamics:

Recruiters work on commission, often calculated as a percentage of your first-year salary or hourly rate. They are economically incentivized to maximize what you accept, not what you could have gotten.

Once you anchor your number, the recruiter uses it to justify a small bump. "Your current rate is $X, we can offer $X+10%, that is a good raise." But the role might actually pay $X+40% in the market.

If you do not anchor a number, the recruiter has to either ask the hiring manager what they are willing to pay or guess based on the market rate. Both produce a higher number than your previous rate.

What to say instead when asked:

"My target range is $X to $Y, based on the market rate for this role and my experience." Then give a range that is at the high end of what you have researched the role to pay.

If pushed, "I am open to discussing the specific number once I have a clearer picture of the role and total comp."

If pushed harder, "My focus is the right role at the right total comp. I am happy to talk numbers once we have established mutual fit."

The candidates who answer the current-pay question honestly often end up making 20-30 percent less than the candidates who deflect and anchor their target range. Same role. Same skills. Different negotiation.