- - Is it OK to inflate my low salary during a job interview? Ask Johnny

Johnny C. Taylor Jr., Special to USA TODAYJanuary 14, 2026 at 3:31 AM

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Worrying that a low salary will follow you from role to role is understandable. But lying about it is not the fix.

Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your workplace questions each week for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of SHRM, the world's largest trade association of human resources professionals, and author of “Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.”

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Question: I consider my current salary to be well below market value, and I’m worried a potential new employer might base an offer on that. Some friends have advised me to inflate my salary in interviews to level the playing field. Is it OK to exaggerate this number? – Natalia

Answer: Let me be clear: It’s never OK to lie in a job interview. Not about your experience, not about your credentials, and not about your salary.

If I discover a candidate exaggerated their pay, that’s a nonstarter. It’s an integrity issue, and integrity problems rarely stop at one data point. Today, it’s salary. Tomorrow, it’s performance. Soon enough, it’s accountability. Once trust is broken, it’s very hard to rebuild. That’s a risk I’m not willing to take, and honestly, neither would most employers.

Now, I understand why this question comes up. Salary anchoring is real, and many capable people are underpaid for a variety of reasons ‒ career pivots, economic downturns, caregiving responsibilities, geographic moves, or simply needing a job at a particular moment. Worrying that a low number will follow you from role to role is understandable. But lying is not the fix. In today’s environment, inconsistencies get uncovered more often than people realize, and when they do, offers get pulled and reputations take a hit. You could lose an opportunity for which you were otherwise qualified.

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Now, this isn’t all on the candidate. Responsible employers should be paying for the job, not the candidate’s past. A well-run organization sets compensation based on the role, the market, and the skills required ‒ not on how little they think they can get away with paying. Someone being underpaid in the past should never be a justification to underpay them now.

Simply put: You shouldn’t have to lie to get a fair offer. If a company knows what the position is worth and manages pay responsibly, your previous salary shouldn’t matter. An employer should pay you what the job pays. Period.

If you’re worried about anchoring, there are smart, honest ways to handle the conversation. Redirect it to the market value of the role. Share your salary expectations rather than your current pay. Say something like, “Based on my research and the scope of this position, I’m targeting a range aligned with the market.” That approach is professional, credible, and protects your integrity.

And a word of balance here: Confidence is good. Entitlement is not. I’ve walked away from candidates who handled compensation discussions with an attitude that suggested the relationship would be transactional from day one. Negotiation should be firm, informed, and respectful ‒ on both sides. As the saying goes, pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

The main takeaway is this: Don’t lie to level the playing field. Your credibility is part of your professional brand, and once it’s compromised, the damage can extend far beyond one job search. The right employer will value transparency and pay you fairly for the work you’re being hired to do ‒ not hold your past against you.

And if a company insists on anchoring your future to an unfair past, that’s not a signal to exaggerate. It’s a signal to think carefully about whether that’s the right employer for you.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

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