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There's no reason to answer that question. Instead, talk about your expectations: say that your understanding is the role involves X, Y, and Z, and you have experience in related areas A, B, C, and accordingly you'd be looking to get $x for this role. Then, transfer it all back to them: "Does that fit with your range for the position?"
I know someone who the engineering team really wanted, but he was paid 65k currently, and he wanted at least 80k, because he would have to move to London.
Who did the HR decide to hire? A guy who scored much worse during the interview, but he "only" wanted an increase from 90k to 95k - and HR was prohibited by corporate policy from offering more than 10% increase in previous salary for new hires, so the first guy couldn't be offered 80k - even though the person they actually hired was paid a lot more than that.
Is the policy stupid? Yes it is. But that's the real world situation you sometimes have to deal with.
Just lie and say something competitively high, because negotations will always lowball and haggle it down from there. Previous salaries are NEVER verified for simple reasons, its beyond offensive for the references as well as the interviewing company to ask about compensation which is a private business affair. Why is responding to asshole questions in a pragmatic manner so hard to avenge for hanging by the doornail…
X is 20% more than what I actually earn.
There are two questions that always get me in interviews. The first one is the salary one. If I am evasive, or try to deflect, the interviewer will probe deeper. They just wont take no for an answer. In fact I've even been told straight up "Give us a figure, or we won't proceed".
Another one is about my children. They are five and seven and finish school in the afternoon, when they are collected by their after school service. Under EU law interviewers cannot ask about my family life, but they do. They ask what my children's ages are, they ask when the finish school, and crucially what happens if there is a problem that would require me to dash out to pick them up (illness etc). When I say my wife will take care of that they ask what she does for a living. If I say that I'd rather not discuss that then I can be certain no matter how skilled I am for the job, I wont be getting it.
In my experience most interviewers know all the tricks. If they want an answer to a question they will get it. If you don't play ball then you probably wont get the job.
I find that a lot of the tactics used to deflect or avoid answering awkward questions in interviews just do not work. There are two questions that always get me in interviews. The first one is the salary one. If I am evasive, or try to deflect, the interviewer will probe deeper. They just wont take no for an answer. In fact I've even been told straight up "Give us a figure, or we won't proceed". Another one is about…
See my relevant comment in the thread below:
https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=13947819&goto=item%3Fi...
I find that a lot of the tactics used to deflect or avoid answering awkward questions in interviews just do not work. There are two questions that always get me in interviews. The first one is the salary one. If I am evasive, or try to deflect, the interviewer will probe deeper. They just wont take no for an answer. In fact I've even been told straight up "Give us a figure, or we won't proceed". Another one is about…
Say "My contract prevents me from disclosing my compensation package" (probably true), "and I treat my commitments seriously."