If you name a salary figure that is too low, the employer will tend to use it as a criterion of competency. Inc. One of the major mistakes to avoid is to lower your salary request. Virtually all job applicants who lower their salary prospects below previous earnings levels think they are making themselves more appealing by asking for less, particularly now, and they expect to be viewed more positively by employers if they do. However, the effect is just the opposite. All you are doing is damaging your chances of being hired and prolonging the job search.
Employers have salary schedules and budgets and know what they can pay for each position.
They are more than willing to meet the salary demands of those they want to hire. What you earned on your last job is what you are worth. It is your true market value. When you lower your salary request to an employer, you are sending a message that you really do not have much confidence in yourself. The employer may interpret that to mean that you may be indecisive, tentative, slow to take action and of a mind to avoid showing initiative.