Should you divulge previous contract rate to an agency ?

[AvsFan]

I'm searching for my next contract and recently applied for a role where upon I was immediately contacted by the agency who stated that my CV was suitable for the role etc. The requirement was immediate availability of which I was and I was asked would I be in a position to interview the following day or day after as they wished to put me forward. I confirmed I was. The conversation was going well & then the agent asked what my previous contract rate was ?

I have always been informed not to divulge this (for the obvious reasons), so I politely indicated that I could not say. From this point on I felt the tone of the agent then seemed to change and from originally saying that they would send further details through and contact me to confirm the interview, I have now heard nothing.

Was I right to not divulge my previous contract rate ? By not doing so why has this appeared to affect my chances of securing an interview or have I just been unlucky with a poor agency ?
It's my first year of contracting so it's obviously a steep learning curve in all aspects and I'm keen to avoid making any mistakes in securing contracts so interested to hear other people's experiences/views upon this.

[borderreiver]

Was I right to not divulge my previous contract rate ?

Yes. What you've previously charged is none of his business and is probably confidential.

Consider his reaction if you'd asked what his salary is ...

[shingz]

exactly!

why is your rate relevant to him? why not inflate it then?

alot of these agents are just trying to get market data.

this question and the famous "i need 2 references" peeve me off the most

[Eirikur]

They always seem to ask what rate are you on now, my answer is always "the rate I'm looking for is £xxxx"

[PerfectStorm]

They always seem to ask what rate are you on now, my answer is always "the rate I'm looking for is £xxxx"

Either this or if you want to keep the tone cordial, say as your 'current' rate the minimum or target salary you're looking for. No recruiter would offer you less than you're on, but they might seek to 'match' it (or feel they are)

And yes, cheeky buggers for both asking and ALWAYS taking advantage of it.

[vwdan]

Either this or if you want to keep the tone cordial, say as your 'current' rate the minimum or target salary you're looking for. No recruiter would offer you less than you're on, but they might seek to 'match' it (or feel they are)

And yes, cheeky buggers for both asking and ALWAYS taking advantage of it.

Yup - my last rate is always the rate I want. They're not thick and they know it can't ever be verified, but it's easier than getting in to to a debate over it and it lets them know quickly whether we're in the right ballpark.

Plus, from my POV, it offers a little protection. If you say "The rate I'm after is £x" then you're pretty much stuck with that, whereas you can reasonably safely say "The rate I'm on is £[y], but it's an easy gig close to home so I'd have to make sure the commercials stack up for this one"

[speling bee]

I always tell them the number that is most advantageous to me as a negotiating tool.

[BigTime]

I have no problem telling them and expect them to tell me their margin if I'm offered a contract.

[texto]

Was I right to not divulge my previous contract rate ? By not doing so why has this appeared to affect my chances of securing an interview or have I just been unlucky with a poor agency ?

I think your response was not sharp. You must know the desired rate you want for your contract. Subtract 20 from it and say you are currently on that rate. If you want 450/day then say I'm on 430 already. No one can find out what your current rate is. And expecting a raise of 20 per day is normal.

Having said that I would not have expected the agent to sulk. They probably have nothing for you.

[psychocandy]

Agreed with what others have said. I always lie and add a bit to last rate to get it near to what I want for role.

Heres what I reckon they ask for. OK, client is willing to pay £500 (example), so agent is thinking I can get someone in for £400-£450 and still charge client £500. Then, lo and behold, contractor appears who admits current rate is £300, so now agent knows that if he gets £320 for this guy hes going to be happy and agent gets to pocket a huge cut.

I do two main things. One pays more than the other. Last year I've had one or two decent gigs using tech A paying pretty well. Recent gig was tech B and was poor rate.

So, applied for gig for tech A. Decent-ish rate. Agent asked the question - Even though I exagerrated a bit I was too honest and I admitted that last gig for Tech B was a bit low but recent gigs for Tech A was higher as expected.

Agents answer - client wont pay rate because your last gig was much lower rate. (despite being completely different technology).

FFS. Piss off then.