<prompt> Human: I am 24 and making about 56kyear with bonus and i feel that Im underpaid for the work that i do. Ive been applying to other jobs and am considering inflating my current salary when the time for negotiation comes. I think that i can reasonably earn 75k for the work that Im doing but its unlikely that i will get an offer for that amount if Im honest. Can employers actually check how much youre making?  <response>: Simple: DONT TELL THEM!The ONLY thing they will ever use your previous salary for is as an easy excuse to pay you less.Your value as an employee has nothing to do with what you made at your last job. They already have an idea of what they will pay for the position before they even look at the first resume. If you report that you made significantly less at your last job than what they were planning on paying in the first place, then you just made your hiring manager very happy by unknowingly making a very low first offer.If they get pushy about knowing what you made at your last job, simply tell them that you were comfortable, and move on.Here is an excellent article about salary negotiation that everyone looking for a new job should read: Salary Negotiation: Make More Money, Be More ValuedThe article is kinda geared towards tech professionals, but really applies to anyone. 