HR0000000

Yes. Just as you can quit, walk out, and be done. For no reason. But they can't fire you for health reasons, personal reasons, etc.

When you make as much as you do, it's a huge waste of everyone's time for you to interview for roles that just can't go there. By stating your compensation up front, you effectively make the recruiter your negotiator before you ever interview. You're getting them to get the company to agree to possibly paying you that much, assuming you meet some bar in their head that's worth it. More specifically to your next move, your base salary just won't have a lot of room to grow. So you have some options. -become a consultant. Many are referencing Patrick's blog (kalzumeus.com), which is a great way to bump up your dollars. -transform a recently funded startup that goes public. They'll throw money at you to build their team, then hopefully the stock makes you rich. -Even outside the big 6 (Uber? Really?), at your level in your job most larger companies should be rewarding heavily in stock and performance bonuses. Take the time with the recruiter to truly understand what the total compensation strategy is. What is the vesting schedule for the initial reward? What about stock given as bonuses or for promotions? What % of possible bonus does the average employee actually receive? -create the next big tech and run with it. AUTOMATE ALL THE THINGS. I hear there's money in that.

It's absolutely not at all illegal to check and is a very standard part of background checks.

Amazon, and any other major company, has created a salary range for any role. As someone who has hired for many of these companies, I can tell you: Sharing your compensation is taboo, but do it anyway. So long as you do it honestly and completely. Talking about only salary in a company that rewards heavily in stock is not useful.

There is negotiation room. However, playing the game of show me your hand first is just plain annoying. Why should a company pay you more than is standard in your role? Are you leaving bonus/stock money on the table to come there? Relocating? Losing money on a lease? Tuition? Costs covered by your current employer or another offer (ie housing, transportation, childcare, etc)?

It's a myth that all companies are out to lowball you. The more successful a company is, the more likely it is that they've realized internal equity is at least as (if not more so) important than being competitive in the market.

Go see twitter #talkpay. A lot of great data points were shared there.