What I do is combine all of my current salary & benefits (including counting my PTO as additional "base" salary) and then round that up to the nearest $2.5k. I

What I do is combine all of my current salary & benefits (including counting my PTO as additional "base" salary) and then round that up to the nearest $2.5k. I have that number ready so that if I mention my previous salary I have a number that amounts to the value of my current or previous job to me to set the base for the upcoming one. Example: If your salary is $25/hr with 2 weeks PTO and other Perks valued at 5% annual salary (401k matching, health insurance, work perks like food or discounts, etc.) That is $52k + $2k + ~$3k = ~$57k rounded up to $57.5k is the "Previous" annual salary I would represent. That poses you as someone who would "jump ship" for $60k + similar benefits when in reality it would be a 15% pay raise to have the same benefits + an additional $8k a year. It's a win all around. The recruiter thinks they're getting a deal, you know you're getting a deal, and everyone is happy and no one is the wiser.