Is it risky to lie about your salary

I was taken advantage of by my current bank, I'm at a pretty well known / respected bank in London and joined from accounting. 

As everyone knows accountants make very little in comparison, so when I was made an offer to join this investment bank as an associate, they knew my accounting salary was GBP35k and they made me an associate 1 offer of GBP60k (market standard is GBP90k in London). At first I didn't even care they low balled me because it was still almost double my accounting salary so I accepted.

I'm now recruiting for lateral roles at other banks because I don't like how underpaid I am here, I tried asking for a pay rise but they said no. Now other investment banks HR are asking for my salary and I don't want the same thing to happen of them taking advantage of my low salary, if I was to lie and say I'm on something like GBP100k would they find out I'm lying?

I assume HR are friends with HR at other banks so could they just call and ask their friend there? Or even if they're not friends I assume they could still just call up and ask? will my salary get found out in background checks etc? 

3 Comments
 

I'm surprised you are being asked for that info given that it's standardized. I would say that I don't want to disclose that information and that you're interested in getting paid the market rate. This could benefit you because you're now an experience associate, and maybe your base will be slightly higher than 90k. There is no reason why they need that info, and I would not disclose it.

 

Yeah I would do that. Whenever I interview for a tech sales role they ask what I expect I usually say "Sales roles range from 100k-250k depending on lots of factors and I don't want to come off as too greedy or lowball myself, what do you guys gave market as OTE for the role?" 

9/10 times they'll tell me 

If they keep pushing. "Sure, I figure it's fair to base it on the expected revenue I'm supposed to bring in. What's the quota?" 

 

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