Anonymous wrote:One should have a pretty clear idea of their worth and a number that would make it worthwhile to leave the current position. Otherwise it is just a lottery of sorts. Does one really expects to somehow fool potential employer into paying way more then they should? If employer feel like they got a bad deal then one will probably get canned sooner rather than later.

Exactly. You should KNOW how much you want/need/are worth and go from there

I was just contacted by a recruiter and he said something along the lines of "There are new laws being passed that affects asking about your salary. Here at ABC recruitment we agree these are good laws and should be expanded, so I am not going to ask you how much you make. However, I don't want to waste your time. The budget for this job is $120 but they are open to negotiating."

I really appreciated that approach.