I interviewed at a small company my friend worked at (he was highly placed so his reference all but guaranteed the job). Sailed through the interview process (standardized C/C++ programming test - ugh) until I met with the CEO. He asked me what my salary was and I declined, stating that I wanted to hear what salary range they had in mind for the position. The CEO became very angry, claiming that in all his years no one had ever refused to disclose their salary. Interview was ended promptly and I got an email a couple days later saying they couldn't offer me the job.
I talked to my friend about it after and he was very surprised about what happened. Everyone else on the team liked me but the CEO nixed the deal claiming I was difficult. I think you need to be prepared for this kind of reaction if you choose to not disclose your salary. Though in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't end up taking the job. My friend left after a year after butting heads too often with the CEO.
Sounds like you saved yourself a lot of pain. A nice rule of thumb for jobs can probably be- if you get axed from a job by doing something completely rational like this you should never work at that company. You got to remember once you get hired you have to work there.
I talked to my friend about it after and he was very surprised about what happened. Everyone else on the team liked me but the CEO nixed the deal claiming I was difficult. I think you need to be prepared for this kind of reaction if you choose to not disclose your salary. Though in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't end up taking the job. My friend left after a year after butting heads too often with the CEO.