With a construction recruiter, you can talk frankly about construction salary and whether what you've earned matches what they're willing to pay. The construction recruiter can often tell you, based on her experience, what the "wriggle" room is and if this is above or below the market average. The construction recruiter will often ask this to make sure you "fit" in the range the construction employer is willing to pay, so that neither of you wastes time. You also can always say: "I'm sure you've set a fair construction salary for this position, and therefore whatever you've set will work for both of us." This may be an outright lie but it can also serve to get beyond that point.