Tell someone what you actually earn
Pay secrecy is maintained by people like you staying quiet, and it costs the people with least information the most.
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Why it lands
The information asymmetry in salary negotiation is almost total: the employer knows the range and the band, and the candidate is guessing. That asymmetry reliably disadvantages the people who are already underpaid. One person volunteering a real number to someone about to negotiate is worth more than any amount of general advice about knowing your worth.
How
Give an actual figure, not a range and not a platitude — a range lets them assume the bottom. Say what you asked for and what you settled at. Offer it before they ask, because asking is the part people cannot bring themselves to do.
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