Worst Interview Mistake You Can Ever Make: Not Disclosing Your Salary!

By Susan Gitonga 

You can have an impressive CV that gets you a job interview, but end up making one of the worst interview mistakes some candidates in Kenya make.

And yes, you might have tons of experience working for  some of the top companies such as Safaricom and the like, but work experience can never cover up for an unco-operative personality.

“How much are you currently earning?” I’m sure you have encountered this question in an interview and if you haven’t yet, rest assured it’s coming.

How you respond to this question can either turn off the employer, or open up a new conversation where you end up getting the job. In this article, I’m going to share with you the worst mistake you can ever make when answering this question.

How Not To Answer The Question, “How Much Are You Currently Earning?”

Ms. Caroline Kariuki, an interviewer and hiring manager says that she has encountered candidates who refrain from disclosing how much they earn.

“It’s as if they are hiding something,” she says. As an interviewer, she wants to know your work history, salary

included. It’s a job interview after all, not a dating interview.

Many people are sensitive about disclosing how much they earn because they fear being judged. They fear that the other person will think that they are worth so little.

Even if that’s the assumption in many settings, an interview setting is very different.

1. Do not tell the interviewer that your salary is personal

Of course it’s personal because it comes to you at the end of every month, but in an interview, you must be honest about how much you earn.

Why you ask?

Because the interviewer has a salary range they are working with and they would like to negotiate their range VS your work experience and current salary.

The truth of the matter is that you are not defined by your salary and the more confident you are about disclosing it, the more chances you have of getting the job.

Ms Caroline also adds that she is well aware that most people are underpaid, and therefore advises candidates not to hesitate disclosing their salary in the fear that they will lose out on a job, because it is very well paying. On the contrary, if you are impressive and your papers are in order, then you stand a chance of getting the job.

2. Do not tell the interviewer that it’s company policy not to disclose your salary

You are looking for a job so that you can leave the company you are currently working for, aren’t you? It does not make sense, then, to die for this company that you want to leave, by not disclosing how much you earn to a prospective employer . It comes off as bad business.

An employer wants to know where you are coming from and where you are going. They are willing to give you an opportunity, but you have to be honest and open about your work experience and current/previous salary.

Sometimes, employers get turned off by such answers because candidates build a wall that makes the new relationship they would like to have impossible.

How are they supposed to employ you, if you cannot trust them? Better still, how can they trust you if you are not open with them?

3. Do not argue with the interviewer about disclosing your salary

Just go straight to the point and say “I earn 15K.” Say it with confidence, and move on to the next question.  Sure, it might feel uncomfortable, but failing to disclose your salary should not be the reason why you fail to get a new job. At the end of the day, it’s just a salary!

The next time you are attending an interview, be prepared to be open and honest with the interviewer. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself, and for the sake of getting the job.

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Have a question? Leave us a comment. Susan is a Communications and Digital Marketing Officer at Career Point Kenya. Email: susan@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke