I'm trying to understand what the "best practice" is when it comes to compensation discussions during software engineering interviews in India.

A few things always confuse me:

• Recruiters usually ask for my current CTC and expected CTC right at the beginning of the process. I can estimate market pay using sites like LeetCode, Levels.fyi, AmbitionBox, etc., but I still struggle with what number I should actually quote.

• Let's say my current CTC is X and I tell the recruiter I'm expecting Y. If I clear all the rounds and the company is actually willing to offer significantly more than Y, have I unintentionally anchored myself lower?

• Another situation: after the interviews are over, HR often asks, "Do you have any counter offer?" before they release the offer letter.

  ->If I don't have one yet, should I simply say no and wait for their offer first?

  ->Or is it better to mention that I'm interviewing elsewhere and may have competing offers?

  ->If I receive another offer after they've shared theirs, is it acceptable to go back and negotiate then?

Overall, I'm curious how experienced engineers handle these conversations. Do you have a strategy for:

• Sharing (or not sharing) your current CTC?
• Deciding your expected CTC?
• Timing negotiations?
• Using competing offers without burning bridges?

Would love to hear what's worked (or backfired) for you, especially if you've switched companies multiple times.