How do you answer the current salary question in a job interview?

Kevin Beachy

Cost of Living Reporter

You can prepare for a job interview as you wish, but there is often one question that causes you some embarrassment.

In the UK, employers have the right to ask you about your salary in your current job, but job applicants are not obliged to answer.

Recruiters have been encouraged to stop asking questions about salary history, while new rules in the European Union will prevent such questions.

But if you are asked this question, what is the best way to answer it?

What questions can recruiters ask in a job interview?

Sometimes, both recruiters and job applicants seem to be wary of money.

But Louise Rudd, senior consultant at workplace advice and matchmaking service ACAS, says there are no regulations preventing employers from asking applicants about their current salaries or salary expectations.

She adds that if employers want to know this, they should ask all applicants the same questions to ensure they are treated fairly.

A few years ago, a campaign was launched calling on employers to stop asking new employees about the salaries they earned in their previous jobs.

The Faust Society, which works on women's rights and gender equality, said asking this question could perpetuate historical unfair pay disparities linked to inequality based on gender, race or disability.

The association added that linking the salary to what the person was previously receiving, instead of determining it based on skills, experience, and performance, may ultimately mean rewarding the value on which the individual is viewed and his ability to negotiate, rather than his actual qualifications.

The Employment and Labor Confederation supported the move, calling on recruiters not to ask such questions.

In the European Union, new rules being gradually implemented in bloc countries will prevent employers from asking applicants about their previous salaries.

But this is not part of the UK Cabinet Office's plans, which instead focus on requiring employers to publish salary information in job adverts.

What's the best way to answer?

When you apply for a new job, you can disclose your current salary if you are comfortable with that.

Some people BBC News spoke to on the streets of London said they might quote a higher salary than they actually earn, hoping to get a bigger salary in the new job, but the risks of lying in a job interview may far outweigh the potential gains.

There is no obligation to disclose your salary if you do not want to.

Some people may instead prefer to state their salary expectations, or clarify their understanding of the pay range for the position, Rudd says.

Recruiters often say that applicants can focus on their skills and experience as the criteria for what they should be paid, rather than their previous salary history.