parasitius

Recently I blurted out my current salary when asked at an interview. It's hard for me to lie, but I don't need to kick myself -- friends have been doing it for me for the past two weeks. One guy 5 years my junior has jumped his salary 40k in two years by lying about his prior salary at each of two job changes in the same city. But if you do lie, how do you come up with a believable figure? And if everyone lies, why do employers bother asking?

According to Robert Half Technology's figures the location I'm in pays 0.7x of the national average, and since I seek desperately to enter a major city --- some with factors of 1.25-1.41 --- telling my true high 30's salary makes me seem like a lunatic demanding double salary. In fact, double would be just enough to maintain my current standard of living, no gain aside from a better location. Advice!? I have 5 years work experience.