My most uncomfortable interview experience (nearly 20 years ago) came about because of this problem.<p>I was working in a job I enjoyed, but that didn&#x27;t pay well. The money had started to become a problem and I started looking for something better-paid. (This was London in 1997 -- I was being paid about £25K and I hoped for more like £35K.)<p>I used a recruiter, I told them my current salary and what I hoped to get, and they got me a promising-looking interview.<p>Cut to the interview, and one of the first questions they ask is &quot;Why do you think we should pay you ten grand more than you&#x27;re getting at the moment?&quot;<p>Hindsight gives me many ways to answer this, but at the time I just sat there with my mouth open. I had no idea the agent had told them my current salary, so I was completely unprepared. I was dimly aware that a proper answer would express something about my value to the company, so I couldn&#x27;t just say &quot;I need more money&quot;. I eventually muttered something about that seeming to be roughly the market rate, and the interview was effectively over.