Posted on 06/04/2013 10:22:02 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
Question: I read your article titled "Keep Your Salary Under Wraps," and I agree completely that there is no good reason (from the employee's perspective) to disclose your current salary to a future employer. A competent business should be able to independently assess a prospective employee's worth without being biased by another data point. Judging from your article, however, you may not be aware that employers require salary information.
For instance, online applications frequently make the "current salary" field mandatory. You cannot proceed without entering a numeric value. Human resources representatives almost always ask about current salary during the initial phone interview, and your refusal to follow protocol could end the interviewing.
How should applicants deal with questions that require an answer about current salary? I am confident that applicants who refuse to answer, no matter how professionally, will have little luck advancing in the application process.
Nick Corcodilos: Employers don't really require your salary history to hire you. But many do like to bully you into disclosing private, confidential information that will give them an unfair negotiating position. So they call it "the policy."
I would never, ever disclose my current salary or salary history to a prospective employer even if it means ending the interview process. That is my advice to job hunters.
Employers use online applications for two reasons. One is that they are expedient. Those poor HR staff have no way to process all the millions of inappropriate applications they solicit from people they don't know. The other reason is that automated forms enable them to intimidate you into sharing information that is none of their business. When employers re-brand their rudeness as "policy," many job applicants will go along. But not all.
Ask The Headhunter readers tell me they say no to the salary question without getting kicked out of the interview process. There are plenty of employers who will respect that position; the rest are playing games. What makes you think playing games will lead to a good job and a good salary with a good employer?
The article you refer to is actually a very abbreviated version of my PDF book, "Keep Your Salary Under Wraps." Here are a few tips from the book about how to deal with inappropriate salary requests from employers. The basic idea is, either walk away entirely, or approach from a direction that avoids such silly obstacles.
You can take a strong position with any employer by putting it all on the line. Tell the employer, "Look, I won't tell you my past salary because I'd like to have an honest, fair negotiation based on what I can do to make your business more successful. If I can't demonstrate my value, then you should not make me an offer or hire me. We can part as friends. But I'd like to show you how I can contribute enough to your business that you'll want to pay me well to do this job." See "That's why it's called compensation."
That's a friendly, assertive way to continue the interview process. If an employer still demands your salary history, I'd walk away. Don't participate in a one-sided negotiation that is not a win-win proposition.
If I was looking for a job and decided to use one of these forms, I might fill in my current salary as an outrageous $999,999,999 for the same reason. It's not dishonest if there is no risk that they would believe me or think that I expected to be believed, and no intent to deceive or appearance of such intent. It does get around the software or secretary requirement that everything be filled in.
I didn’t move. Wasn’t it 2nd Division Vet (or something like that) that moved?
His stepson just died in a fire. Tragic. I can find the thread if you like.
Or maybe it was someone else you are thinking of....
Never lie on an application. Instead, respond by saying “I am prepared to discuss my salary expectation.”
Good advice
Thats fine, I deal with primadonnas all the time. If someone can’t recognize that while their value is appreciated they aren’t the boss then I don’t want them in my company.
Many independents want to approach it as equals. Its not equal until you sink money in the infrastructure and sales costs to find the customer. Also, not until you have some skin in the game. Everybody wants profits but nobody wants risk.
before companies extend an offer to you most do a background check and during that process they confirm you current or last employment information and VERIFY it. If you lie about your salary this is when it will reveal that to the employer.....they will consider your application to be fraudulent and you will be put on a list.
I had one interview where the director of QA was interviewing me and asked me my salary. I told him and he closed his notebook and said, “This interview is over”. He told me he was making only 1k more than I was. LMAO!
I wouldn’t want to work for this guy.....however, there are many situations where a manager of engineers or technical staff makes less than the people he managers.
I’ve always just given my desired salary. There have been plenty of instances where I never got a call back, but some have come back to say, “While we can’t match your current salary, we can offer...”
It’s just like he says, it’s an unfair bargaining tactic. Just don’t play the game or beat them at it.
Yeah you may think it and call it a game....however it is better defined as a process. Recruiters are not bargaining...they are trying to fill jobs. Recruiters have no earthly idea how your salary effect the companies bottom line...they are trying to put butts in seats.
bingo we have a winner.
Most larger companies have front door HR policies that require online forms to be filled out. Finding the hiring managers and being friendly actually costs the candidate the job as the rule is that a candidate doing backdoor handshaking is banned and the manager can be terminated.
“what is the lowerst base salary I can offer this slob and get away with it.”
nonsense
It takes me 6 months to bring someone up to speed. the last thing I want is for that person to leave for a little more money after I train them.
If money is your only motivator then you won’t be happy anywhere.
Most jobs are found and filled through personal contacts. Eliminate that urge to take the easy way — avoid the forms. That’s how to avoid the salary field! Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Introduce yourself to someone who will refer you to the manager without salary being the first topic of conversation!
This is the whole game, right here. Nothing else matters.
Yeah this is terrible advice...if an employer spends 400K a year to post jobs to monster and another 4 million to maintain a compliant hiring process that would withstand an EEO or OFCCP audit then you need to fill out the damn form or you will not get considered. Even if you go straight to the hiring manager and get his attention and he wants to interview you there are a ton of forms that need to be filled out PRIOR to you even coming in for an interview.
As has been the case with retailers, the Internet has reduced much of HR to strict price-shopping.
Searches and screens are conducted strictly on salary numbers by many.
HR departments have long been government-like bureaucratic puddles of inefficiency but their refusal to go beyond the numbers renders them even less useful.
I call BS.....show me one website that allows me to search for candidates based off their salaries.
P4L
Early in my programming career, I fell for that one time. Thereafter I added $5,000 to what I was currently making. Three times the (standard) reply was "Well, that's about what we are offering and can't really top that. However, there is plenty of upward growth here (no), so you will soon be making more." After that, I got into contracting and soon made REAL money.
another winner.....you sir are correct.
good answer
“If money is your only motivator “
If that is all the company is offering for compensation then, yes, money will be a motivator. Companies are not social clubs, they exist to make money. So, the company is motivated by dollars so why shouldn’t the candidate be?
Let’s turn around your scenario: Why should a candidate have to leave over a few dollars that they can get someplace else? Why can’t the company pay those few dollars to avoid the loss?
“As the employer I am the buyer.”
As the candidate I am the seller. Try to lowball me or treat me unethically and I’ll take my services where somebody isn’t trying to screw me.
“the Internet has reduced much of HR to strict price-shopping.”
And word searching. If the hiring managers says, “I need a ERP specialist”, the HR recruiters word search Monster and Dice for “ERP”. They don’t have a clue what ERP stands for, what application or products comprise ERP.
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