Should I cheat when asked about the previous salary?

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The actor Willy Millowitsch once said that the moment of truth will come for everyone, and then it's time to lie, lie, lie.

But in salary negotiations, that could be a bad idea.

Photo: Andrey Popov/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Eva, 31 years old, asks: »I am applying for a new position in another company.

If the recruiter or potential new manager asks what I'm currently earning, should I adjust the amount up a bit so that the offer is better?

Or is it possible that this lie will come out later and reflect back on me negatively?

Should I avoid a direct answer or be completely honest?”

Hello Eva,

The questions I immediately ask myself is: Why do you want to revise the salary upwards?

If you know the "why," we can later find the "how to argue it."

First of all: Personally, I am - almost always - for honesty, supplemented by at least one good argument.

Quite apart from the fact that a lie can always come out and then develop a certain momentum of its own.

Scrolling text on the forehead or poker face?

It depends a lot on how you're knitted.

Let's say you cheat the amount up.

How are you with that?

Does the thought make you turn tomato red?

Do you get sweaty hands or start fidgeting?

Then you should definitely leave it alone!

Whoever is on the other side - by phone, digitally or in person - will immediately notice that something is wrong.

And the person will not necessarily think that you are cheating, they just have a funny rumbling in their stomach and then maybe think: well, whether she really fits the job and us, something is funny there.

You probably miss the chance to score points in terms of content.

Or worse, you would have been shortlisted and dropped out because of it...

Do you have a cool poker face and practice bluffing every day?

Then you can do that.

If you really want to look better, set the fictitious current salary five to ten percent below what you ultimately want for the position.

I would still not recommend it to you.

Why are you currently earning too little?

That brings us back to the question of why you want to do this.

The second, usually a bit painful question is: Why do you think you earn far too little in your current job?

Have you sold yourself short, negotiated badly or are you only partially sure of your performance?

In all cases and many more, a clear self-analysis helps, what can I do, what am I worth and what use can I have for the company.

Do you know your pain threshold when it comes to salary?

Set yourself three clear goals: Minimal, Okay and Yay.

The most important thing is the minimum goal: your pain threshold.

Under the the subject is settled for you, which means you turn down the job.

Become aware of exactly when you really draw this conclusion.

With a minimum target of 60,000 euros, this means that you do not accept at 59,500.

Otherwise it's not your pain threshold.

Deal with it extensively and above all honestly.

With your OK goal, you feel well paid for this task.

The Juhu goal is the goal that has you hanging under the covers screaming with joy for three days.

For all three target variants, state what you want in terms of task and content in the respective category.

Check these financial and substantive limits very carefully to see if they are factually and emotionally voting for you.

If you know what you can do and are worth to the new company, back to why:

Do you want to earn significantly more in your new job?

Is that also the reason why you want to switch?

You're probably sure you should get more.

Prepare yourself very well and practice your benefit arguments until they come out of your ears.

Possible comment from the other side: Well, you're making quite a jump there.

Possible answer: Yes.

Adequate to my skyrocketing performance.

Did you negotiate poorly in your previous job?

That's silly.

Stand by it.

When asked more precisely, say something like: I realize that I negotiated really badly.

Now I want to be paid based on performance, not negotiation skills.

Present your benefit to the company.

Is the job completely different in terms of content?

Then your answer could be: “I currently earn 55,000 euros.

The tasks in your position are much more complex.

That's why my salary expectations for the position are 70,000 euros a year plus profit-sharing.«