If you’re a senior healthcare leader actively searching for a new role, chances are you've come across a tidal wave of advice on how to negotiate an executive compensation package. Much of it - especially on LinkedIn - is well-intentioned, but often misguided.

The latest “expert” guidance tells candidates to never reveal their current (or most recent) compensation history. The rationale? To eliminate pay inequities across gender, race, and other demographics, and to ensure everyone competes on a level playing field. That’s an admirable goal.

The only problem: this advice is built on flawed assumptions.

First, it presumes that employers maintain separate salary bands based on who you are rather than what the role requires. In my 20+ years in healthcare executive search, I’ve never encountered an organization that operates that way. Every executive search I’ve conducted has had a highly specific salary range with a target market mid-point and with the high-end and low-end of the range usually plus or minus 10% of that midpoint, respectively. Every role also has a clearly defined incentive bonus structure targets (short term incentive, long term incentive/equity).

Second, it assumes your prospective employer is going to try to “lowball” you. Yes, those organizations exist - but they’re the exception, not the rule. And if you believe a potential employer is acting in bad faith, you should withdraw from consideration immediately. You’re not just negotiating salary; you’re assessing culture, ethics, and long-term alignment.

Here's the reality: dodging the comp question doesn’t make you look strategic. It makes you look evasive and cagey. And at the executive level, that erodes trust.

This white paper cuts through the noise. We’ll show you how senior leaders should answer the question:

“What are your salary expectations?”

The answer that works is simple, honest, and effective:

“Here’s where I’m currently at (or most recently at). Here’s where I’d want to be and most importantly, and here’s why.”

It’s professional. It’s logical. And it builds trust.

State & Local Employment Laws

Now, I realize that many states and certain localities have enacted legislation prohibiting employers from asking about compensation history. But, these laws do not prohibit a candidate from volunteering the information. Among the high-performing healthcare executives with whom my firm works, comp history is almost always a favorable data point in the negotiation process (i.e., most successful leaders have a strong comp history that justifies a continued upward trajectory.)

The Problem: Advice from the Wrong People

While this probably makes me sound like an old curmudgeon, much of the guidance on executive salary negotiation comes from influencers who’ve never worked a day in retained search or negotiated substantial executive comp packages. These voices often push one-size-fits-all advice, such as:

This advice may serve someone negotiating their first job offer. But for healthcare C-level executives, it can make you come across as elusive and unprepared.

The Right Answer: Be Transparent and Strategic

1. Start with Facts

Share your current or most recent compensation. Break it down if needed (base, bonus, long-term incentives, etc.).

This isn’t about anchoring low; it’s about establishing a factual baseline.

“I’m currently at $415K base, with a 35% bonus and deferred comp that adds another 10%.”

2. State Your Desired Comp Clearly

Then, share your target for the new role - but only with context.

“For this role, given the increased scope and expectations, I’d be looking for something in the $500–550K range total comp.”

3. Explain the Why

This is the most important part. Your justification could include:

“I was with my last health plan for over 12 years and never realized the larger salary increases inherent in moving to a new organization” - OR - “ My most recent role was with a small, mission-driven not-for-profit – so, I accepted a below-market comp package.”

What About Big Leaps?

If you’re asking for a major increase over your last role, you must explain it. Hiring committees and comp analysts will see the gap - don’t let it go unaddressed. Justifications must be credible. If you can’t explain the delta, you’re at risk of being perceived as unrealistic - or worse, opportunistic.

Final Thoughts

In most cases, you’ll be working with an executive search firm during the hiring process. It’s our role to facilitate a seamless negotiation process - and to provide honest counsel to both the hiring organization and the candidate. My approach is to be as transparent as possible. It’s my job to make sure both sides are aware of the others’ parameters and expectations before either side wastes time interviewing, etc.

I’ve had candidates share that their current total comp is WAY above my clients’ range but, that they’re willing to take a cut for the “right fit”. Some of these candidates are confident that they will so impress the hiring organization that they’ll blow all their previous salary parameters out of the water after meeting them. I have seen this happen but, it is incredibly rare. And it’s unfair to my clients to dangle a prime rib in front of them if they’re on a hamburger budget.

It’s also true that if a hiring organization has unrealistic comp parameters, it’s an executive search firm’s responsibility to bring them hard market data; allowing them to reassess the role and/or the comp package. Likewise, if a candidate has unreasonable comp expectations, it’s incumbent on the executive search firm to provide them data to help them recalibrate their expectations to market realities. Finally, if the two sides are way too far apart, it’s a strong indication that the candidate and position are just simply not at the same level.

Salary negotiations should never be combative. In executive search, they’re simply part of aligning on mutual fit. The best negotiators are honest, informed, and strategic; not evasive or defensive.

If you're preparing for a compensation conversation, don’t rely on crowdsourced opinions from social media. Talk to someone who actually does this work for a living. The stakes at the executive level are too high to wing it.

If you're a healthcare executive evaluating your next move, or a healthcare organization rethinking how to attract elite leadership, please feel free to schedule a confidential consultation.

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