But you might not have. You don't need to come up with excuses. Just say what patio11 said. Just say that it's for professional reasons. No point digging a hole for yourself.

I just say "Because it weakens my negotiating position."

Just because you're playing a game doesn't mean you have to pretend you're not playing it.

I ask out of genuine curiousity: does this go over well?

>*You don't need to come up with excuses." //

@rmc, that line "out of professional courtesy" is an excuse. The real reason is that you don't want to harm your salary negotiation.

It's not an excuse, it's an Appeal To A Higher Authority.

Similarly a hiring manager will tell you that she has to have your salary history and can't possibly go above an arbitrary number because HR and the VP of IT just won't stand for it. Each gambit is equally misdirecting.

It's only an excuse (in the sense meant here) if you actually would disclose other employers' pay policies outside of a salary negotiation. As long as you don't do that, I'd be inclined to call it the truth.