SINGAPORE: A Singaporean went on Reddit to ask whether disclosing his below-market salary could put him at a disadvantage in salary negotiations and if inflating the number would be a better strategy.
In his post on r/askSingapore, he explained that he was preparing for a walk-in interview, and the company required him to complete a Registration Form beforehand. One section of the form asked for his “Current Salary (Required)” and “Expected Salary (Required),” which left him feeling uncertain about how to respond.
“I know it’s in my best interest not to disclose my current pay, but would not disclosing it in a section that says ‘(Required)’ put me at a disadvantage at all?” he asked.
Since he was earning below market rate, he was worried that being honest might work against him. At the same time, he wasn’t sure if leaving it blank or writing something like “confidential” would hurt his chances.
He also admitted that he was unsure how to respond if the interviewer pushed for an answer.
“How should I answer if they press on this topic? Should I lie and inflate my current salary? They can’t/won’t check with my previous company regarding pay, right? Like which employer would disclose how much they pay their employees, right?” he wrote.
“If the company checks, it’s 100% going to rescind your offer…”
In the discussion thread, Redditors strongly advised the Singaporean not to lie about his current salary, as doing so could have serious consequences if the employer decided to verify the information.
One Redditor said, “Don’t be stupid and lie. If the company checks, it’s 100% going to rescind your offer. Just put response as competitive with the market.”
Another explained, “Most companies will want you to disclose your current drawn salary. There’s no harm (in) providing this to save everyone’s time, as you won’t want to go through rounds of (interviews) only to find out that they can’t afford to pay you.
If you refuse to disclose, you are running the risk of the company rejecting your application.”
A third wrote, “Depends. Do you need that job? If not, then throw a number and see if they’re desperate. If you need the job, state a number commensurate with the role and blame the low ‘last drawn’ salary on some story. Companies don’t ask each other about payroll information. If they do, that’s a violation of employee privacy.”
What to do if an employer asks for your past salary
According to Nodeflair, a career transparency platform, employers and recruiters in Singapore can legally ask about your past salary and even request payslips or salary history.
But here’s the thing: You don’t have to share that info if you don’t want to. If an employer keeps pushing for your last salary, claiming it’s for “budgeting purposes,” you can steer the conversation in another direction.
Instead of giving them your exact pay, you could say that your previous salary doesn’t show what you bring to the table now in terms of skills and experience. You could also ask what the salary range is for the position and see if your expectations fit within their budget.
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