How to answer the salay question during MC interview? I've been working for 2yrs in the industry and am on 42k. I'd like to move into consultancy and have interview coming. If they ask me for my salary, should I:a) say that I have 50k --> expect from then min 55kb) tell the truth.If I lie do they check the info I give them?

TheBoyNormal rules apply - although sometimes easier said than done:- it's not relevant to a new employer what you earn now, only what the job is worth. Ask what the normal range is for the job, state you exceed the norm in ways a, b & c and ask what salary they have in mind for this level of excellence- nothing wrong with saying you're not going to discuss current salary and then state "the range I am looking for is between £x and £y"- remind them that you are not looking to move to do the same job for 10% more than now but to do the best job for them you can possibly do, in a new role, new challenges, etc. If they say "we'll see it on your P45 anyway", politely agree and stick to silence re current salary- where in any way possible, only negotiate with a person who has the power to say yea or nay or they will side-line you into bureaucracy and you'll end up arguing with someone in HR who doesn't care whether you're recruited or not and has nothing to gain / lose either way. They will then pretend to take your concerns on board and play the double-glazing game of phoning a manager and asking for advice, only to be told that there is no room for manoeuvre- as ever, they are looking to give you the smallest possible salary to get you and keep you motivated for as long as possible and at least until the inertia sets in. It's up to you to demonstrate where that bar liesShould you lie? Probably not - a recent case illustrated that this is not a safe course of action. Can you pretend your entire package is actually your basic? Slightly safer. There are a few imaginative ways to argue (later) that what it says on your P45 is misleading and doesn't tell the whole story.Would they tell the truth if you asked them what was the maximum they could afford to pay for this post? No! Stick to your guns as much as possible and they will respect you for it and remember you.Good luck

Thank you Panter a lot!!! That was really good.

Just tell the truth. They probably have a pretty good idea what you're on given that the big firms' scales get leaked or purposely shared with each other, and other firms align to these scales especially at the junior end of the spectrum. £50k also sounds excessive for 2 years experience, £42k is realistic, so I wouldn't "round" to any more than £45k lest it look obviously dodgy.

TheBoy, assuming you have no prior consulting experience I suspect (depending on the firm and role as there are exceptions) you would manage to leverage a smallish increase, but nothing dramatic. Some (ACN for example) have a habit of offering below your current package on the strength of their brand (and spin). Stick to a bottom line you want if you move, but dont set a figure or a range in stone. Aside of this point I would agree with Panter's point on this.

Rubbish!They have no idea what you earn and no way of finding out. I was on 36k and landed over £50k by 'rounding up' to £45k in my interview.This is business, they want to pay you as little as possible to get you in and keep you happy. You need to make clear what this amount is to you and let them know where possible.And if anyone comes back on my advice and calls it lying or deceptive I say you need to grow up and come and join the men with the beards and the hairy chests throwing rocks at each other in the street.And if lying makes you feel bad just offset it with an understanding that all of the blurb they're giving you about promotion prospects, training and development is usally only 50% true anyway!Plus, if you are ballsy about what you want i.e saying 'I'm looking to hit £50k+ in my next move' rather than 'oooo, I'm sure you pay very well, what would you like to offer' you show that you are assertive and firm in what you want and that you know how to negotiate.

Thanks Guys for more replies. It helps and I'll use them.P.S. And this story with ACN is a joke! I would understand that MBBB can use this argument but not ACN.

May be a joke but they try it anyway. MBBB generally dont seem to take that tac. The fear - this is exactly the point I am making about setting a bottom line, rather than trying to indicate a range or an expected increase. If you can say "I want 50K no less" then you have a strong case - its a different point than rounding up. But well done on leveraging the leap - it can be done, but the majority of people wont manage it. Always worth a shot though.

It's amazing how many of these big companies expect people to move jobs for them, with little or no pay increase. Why would anyone do that??It's a shame people have to give their P45 or P60 or whatever it is to their new employer so that the tax calculations can be done correctly. Obviously, it contains sensitive personal financial information which the employee might not wish to share with the new company (e.g. details of their earnings in their previous job). It's the individual's information, after all, and it's up to him/her who else is allowed to see it. I wonder if there's a way around that?

use a P46 where the new Employer puts you on a Week?Month 1 (Higher tax) until the tax office sorts it out.This way you dont give your P45 info to HR, and the P60 means nothing as it will be a % of new and old.Call yourselves consultants , indeed :)

Depending on the scale of the company it is unlikely in a firm the size of ACN or suchlike that the correlation between the P45 and the hire will be made anyway - consider that most have substantial, centralised processes to deal with all this, and that HR are bound to maintain confidentiality. What HR manager is likely to chase down the reporting manager, the hiring Partners and the new hire to wave a P45 around? If you are joining a small boutique its different obviously, but where there is scale, there is - to a degree - anonymity.

And having rattled that little rant off, of course Taxman has the answer...

Hi All,I need to be honest here - so many people have contibuted to this string but still it is not clear to me if my future recruiter will in ANY way come to know about my last salary.In case the only way the recruiter will know about the last salary is through P45, is there any way I can tell the new recruiter of my inability to submit it and request them to get a new tax code by filling P46?Regards,D

Just say it hasn't arrived - worked for me.

Hi All,If I may add to my above post:(1) Can I somehow get the P45 with only the tax code (and without my salary information) in it? If yes, how?(2) Can the future recruiter find/estimate/guess my last salary through my tax code?Regards,D

Hi All,If I may add to my above post:(1) Can I somehow get the P45 with only the tax code (and without my salary information) in it? If yes, how?(2) Can the future recruiter find/estimate/guess my last salary through my tax code?Regards,D

Dear boy....It is with relish that i say once on safari in India , well yes wild hairy monkeys...The P45 is one form, cannot be altered....BANG! hair all over the place!Monkeys teeth, what ah well...The tax code, we all have one and its fixed, does not matter what you earn, nothing can be gleaned...Then without notice it was over, wife was quite annoyed, teeth you see...But I was Very...Very....Drunk!