How to respond to request for current salary in an interview

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nimo956
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How to respond to request for current salary in an interview

Post by nimo956 »

The question of current salary seems to always come up in interviews for new positions. What is the best way to handle this? I usually work out a few responses beforehand, but HR people seem to just push and push and push until you cave. It is very frustrating. How many ways are there to say no? It would be helpful if someone could run through a mock conversation for me. I always strive to be cordial and never aggressive, but the constant pressure makes me want to simply say flat out that I'm not going to concede that information, so either move on or we can end the interview now.
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JoMoney
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by JoMoney »

Sorry I don't have a good answer to your dilemma, but thought I would add that it's unfortunate, but many employers are requiring credit checks as well. Even if you aren't knowingly wanting to disclose your salary information they may be able to gather it through credit reporting agencies: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/exclu ... -1B8173066
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frugaltype
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by frugaltype »

It's been a long time since I've done a job interview, but I think I always supplied that information. I might have added, "However, I have offer $X from company Y," or "Salary is one of the reasons I'm looking elsewhere" or " I am looking for level $Z."

I have had jobs so great that I would have worked for less than my previous salary, but for more usual situations, I think it's important to have a clear, tactful understanding on both sides about what's acceptable, at least as a general range.
Professor Emeritus
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Professor Emeritus »

One of my students always says " If you want to talk salaries , does that mean you will then tell me what your company pays people in this position?
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by TomatoTomahto »

It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
terpfan122
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by terpfan122 »

^this. If they want all the info they should be giving all the info. You are in the drivers seat and don't forget it. They want you more then you want them. Also, if talking numbers is necessary, include total comp in your number - include everything from 401k match to employer paid health. If they ask if that is a total comp number you can your are pretty sure it is.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by The Wizard »

Somehow, you've got to establish what is an acceptable number assuming they will want to hire you.
Otherwise you get a situation where you're making $80K in your present job and they offer you $75K for that new job, thus wasting everybody's time...
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by carolinaman »

TomatoTomahto wrote:It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
+1. Refusing to answer the question would seem to quickly eliminate you from consideration.
Professor Emeritus
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Professor Emeritus »

johnep wrote:
TomatoTomahto wrote:It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
+1. Refusing to answer the question would seem to quickly eliminate you from consideration.
At "We only Hire [OT company name removed --admin LadyGeek]" Sure

Either HR can figure out what the person is worth to the company, or they can't. What difference does it make what the person was paid elsewhere ?
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happymob
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by happymob »

"My current salary is X, but that is not necessarily reflective of what I expect in this position."
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happymob
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by happymob »

The Wizard wrote:Somehow, you've got to establish what is an acceptable number assuming they will want to hire you.
Otherwise you get a situation where you're making $80K in your present job and they offer you $75K for that new job, thus wasting everybody's time...
Unless you are willing to take a pay cut for better quality of life (better hours, no being on-call 24/7, better vacation, better retirement, etc).
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by TomatoTomahto »

Professor Emeritus wrote:
johnep wrote:
TomatoTomahto wrote:It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
+1. Refusing to answer the question would seem to quickly eliminate you from consideration.
At "We only Hire supine butt kissers inc" Sure

Either HR can figure out what the person is worth to the company, or they can't. What difference does it make what the person was paid elsewhere ?
I've hired many and been hired often. I wasn't in HR, but if our first meetings were this hostile and adversarial: never mind.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
Mrxyz
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Mrxyz »

Perhaps, there are two different situations;

a) If "HR people" ask the question then they are trying to peg your salary instead of giving you what you are worth (perhaps higher)

b) But if you are asked the same question during an interview with say, the VP, then its a trick question - to access how you respond. He may or may not really want to know your salary but wants to see how you respond. No perfect answer but you can come up with something that is smart but avoids giving a number. "My salary allows me to pay for one vacation and an apartment in the suburbs?" Or something like that. It depends on what is your work and job.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by VictoriaF »

You can respond with the accurate number for your current salary and immediately list all the benefits that you are getting in addition to the paycheck.

I once worked for a small company that officially had a 37.5-hour working week. I was working closer to 50 hours, but that's beside the point. When I was interviewing for my next job, I said that I was making X dollars in a 37.5-hour week, which was equivalent to $1.1X in a regular week. I have conveniently rounded 1.1X up to the next nice number, and no one cared to check the freedom I took with my rounding.

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RobInCT
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by RobInCT »

It really depends on the reason you don't want to give out that information.

I've deflected by saying that my reasons for interviewing are less about salary and more about [desire for more responsibility, opportunity for advancement, desire to specialize, appeal of the company's business model, other reason the new company appeals to you]. This has helped refocus the interview on these other topics and I think also demonstrates and interest in the company beyond just a paycheck. It also forces them to sell me on other factors, including opportunity for advancement, which is--at my current professional stage--the most important thing I'm actually looking for in a new job and hopefully set me up when I start the job as someone who aspires to move up. This answer is quite helpful if you are just abstractly opposed to answering the question for whatever reason, including that you might consider a pay cut for the right opportunity.

If your reason for not wanting to answer is that you find your current salary to be extremely low and are afraid that new company will lowball you if they know what it is, and salary really will be the #1 consideration (or among the top considerations) in whether you take the new job, I think it's better to deflect by mentioning other offers you have received or by mentioning a range in which you'd be willing to entertain offers. If salary is going to be a big part of your decision, it's fair to give them an idea of what it will take to get you, or else, yes, you're wasting everyone's time.

I would not mention a salary and then state that you expect to be paid more by the new company, or state that salary is one of the reasons you're leaving your present position, as a couple in this thread have suggested. If someone said that to me, I'd perceive him or her as a malcontent and as someone likely to jump ship for more money at the first opportunity.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by BSA44 »

overst33r wrote:http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-negotiation/

Every handbook on negotiation and every blog post will tell you not to give a number first. This advice is almost always right. It is so right, you have to construct crazy hypotheticals to find edge cases where it would not be right.
This article has a variety of exaggerated and even false statements including the one above (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring# ... gotiations). The vast majority of recent research of negotiations would suggest that (if you are well informed) it is better to give your number first. If you are knowledgeable about your field and the normal salary ranges (this has become much easier with the Internet), you are generally better off starting with a high but reasonable salary expectation first. The first number (whether it be offered by the company or a potential new employee) tends to heavily anchor the salary negotiation. Also, by stating a reasonable but high salary, it signals that you are of higher value and are not as desperate for the job. The majority of the downsides of saying your number first, are generally the result of not doing enough research, and tend to almost always be outweighed by the benefits of anchoring/signaling that come along with making the initial offer.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by TomatoTomahto »

I can understand being reluctant to state what you expect to make in the new job; that can vary based on quite a few factors, and it might be too early in the process to say.

OTOH, what you currently make should be pretty straightforward.

When asked, I would provide some variant of: I think it's a bit early in the process to be discussing compensation, but since you've asked, I currently make between $x and $y, depending on my performance and the company's. Additionally, I have $z in deferred compensation which I would expect to be made whole on if I were to move. My current benefits (medical, retirement, vacation, etc.) could be described as [pick one of Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze].

As the positions become more senior, HR is less and less involved. As I said, I've been on both sides of the table, and my personal preference from both sides would be to hold off on specific comp questions, but sometimes it is useful to know if we're in the same ball park. How the question is responded to tells me a lot. In my experience, I've never seen a high-friction interview turn into a smooth hire/employment; it often gets worse, but never better than the beginning.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Greg17 »

I would say the quickest easiest way to respond with giving them the information they are looking for, but not giving away any information you don't want to, is a response like this
" To answer your salary request, I'm only targeting position in the 80-90k range. "
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by cheese_breath »

I've been retired a long time, but I always told them the truth. Evasive answers may not go over well with a potential employer.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by TDAlmighty »

I have had my time wasted so often, I actually try to bring up salary as quickly as possible now. Usually by saying something like: "I am very interested in XY position and due to XYZ reasons I believe I am an excellent fit. With the experience, contacts, and knowledge I bring to this position, I think the appropriate salary range is X to Y. Will this salary range work with what your firm had envisioned for this position." Often times this ends the interview process because we both realize we were wasting each other's time. I prefer that because I have wasted enough sick days and "doctors appointments" going to interviews and then being shocked by the lowball offer. :x
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Harold »

TomatoTomahto wrote:It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
It's not a fair question (benefits the company far more than the candidate) -- it's not even an honest question. The company doesn't innocently want to know a past salary just as part of getting to know a candidate, they want a basis for determining a salary offer (when a truly fair offer would depend on supply/demand). The only element giving a veneer of honesty is to assess whether a candidate is outside of an available salary range, and there are other ways of ascertaining that.

It's the kind of question that leads to a distrustful adversarial relationship from the get-go. That ultimately benefits neither the employer nor the employee.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by sunnyday »

If you think there's potential to make a lot more (> 25%) at the new company, I would not state your current salary. I would say something like "I would rather not state my current salary, but is there a current range for this position." If they say no, I would state a range that is acceptable to you -- make it a large range so you have more negotiating leeway if an offer is made.

If this position isn't a big jump for you (less than a 20% increase) I don't think it's a big deal to state your salary, but then say you're not looking for a lateral move.
cheese_breath wrote:I've been retired a long time, but I always told them the truth. Evasive answers may not go over well with a potential employer.
But the hiring company doesn't need to know your current salary. Granted it's legal to ask the question (unlike: race, religion, marital status, pregnancy plans, age, birthplace, sex...) but I don't think it's being evasive if one doesn't want to answer it. One could even consider a company invasive for asking it.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Andyrunner »

Harold wrote:
TomatoTomahto wrote:It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
It's not a fair question (benefits the company far more than the candidate) -- it's not even an honest question. The company doesn't innocently want to know a past salary just as part of getting to know a candidate, they want a basis for determining a salary offer (when a truly fair offer would depend on supply/demand). The only element giving a veneer of honesty is to assess whether a candidate is outside of an available salary range, and there are other ways of ascertaining that.

It's the kind of question that leads to a distrustful adversarial relationship from the get-go. That ultimately benefits neither the employer nor the employee.
Agreed. They are fishing. The interviewee is partially revealing what he would view as an acceptable salary. This easily knocks them out of the game if its too high and saves the wasted time of an offer/counter-offer period. Or it saves the company money if the interviewee's salary is lower than expected.

Companies tend to have a better idea of what the position is worth compared to the canidate.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Your current compensation is commensuerate with a level of high performance within your employer.
I would not be disclosing current compensation unless you are in final negotiations for the position. I am also assuming you are targeting a higher level position and not a lateral one. Typically, it is in poor taste for HR to be inquiring as to your current compensation, a real HR department is fully aware of competitive market trends, if they are not, do you really want to be employed by such a firm?
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by HomerJ »

TomatoTomahto wrote:It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
It's like walking into a car dealership (before the Internet, so you can't look up prices), you ask about a car, and the guy says "How much you willing to spend?"

How about we start with How much you selling it for, first?

Giving your current salary gives an unfair advantage to the business. They may be willing to pay $80k for a position, but when they find out you're currently making $60k, they may only offer $70k.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

cheese_breath wrote:I've been retired a long time, but I always told them the truth. Evasive answers may not go over well with a potential employer.
Be honest yes, but do you play poker in the same manner? Going to an interview can be like a poker game, potential employers are not always truthful about the position responsibilities nor do they always put their best foot forwards, that leads to high turnover in the position or employer. Low compensation can be one reason for the turnover, the other is the manager is a complete lunatic to work for or the responsbilities are not challenging or the glass ceiling is positioned so low that you bump up against it the moment you take the job. Sometimes you can flesh out who is bluffing at the table, sometimes its the school of "hard knocks" that makes one wary in future interviews. When they start fishing before the offer and you have other options, the best thing for the candidate to do is to walk, because you can just imagine what the work enviornment will be like in the future.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

HomerJ wrote:
TomatoTomahto wrote:It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
It's like walking into a car dealership (before the Internet, so you can't look up prices), you ask about a car, and the guy says "How much you willing to spend?"

How about we start with How much you selling it for, first?

Giving your current salary gives an unfair advantage to the business. They may be willing to pay $80k for a position, but when they find out you're currently making $60k, they may only offer $70k.
An industry famous for asking for a copy of your paystub before the interview even begins - the insurance industry, notoriously cheap.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by HomerJ »

Greg17 wrote:I would say the quickest easiest way to respond with giving them the information they are looking for, but not giving away any information you don't want to, is a response like this
" To answer your salary request, I'm only targeting position in the 80-90k range. "
That's a decent answer. But know that they will offer you $80k
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

TomatoTomahto wrote:I can understand being reluctant to state what you expect to make in the new job; that can vary based on quite a few factors, and it might be too early in the process to say.

As the positions become more senior, HR is less and less involved. As I said, I've been on both sides of the table, and my personal preference from both sides would be to hold off on specific comp questions, but sometimes it is useful to know if we're in the same ball park. How the question is responded to tells me a lot. In my experience, I've never seen a high-friction interview turn into a smooth hire/employment; it often gets worse, but never better than the beginning.
Yes and no. HR is always involved in some manner. It's easier if you have an inside contact to smooth the wheels, you can extend your requirements, some companies will acquiese and give what you demand, some will negotiate. The negotiator doesn't necessarily need to be someone in HR, but you can pretty much guarantee that the data they use to bargain with came from some industry database, competitive review, compensation consultant, proxy statements, etc.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

HomerJ wrote:
Greg17 wrote:I would say the quickest easiest way to respond with giving them the information they are looking for, but not giving away any information you don't want to, is a response like this
" To answer your salary request, I'm only targeting position in the 80-90k range. "
That's a decent answer. But know that they will offer you $80k
Never put a number on it unless the bottom number is the least best you are willing to accept. If you use a recruiter, they will do the bargaining with your input. If you are the negotiator, start out at the higher end, have them meet you or go no lower than the middle.
"One should invest based on their need, ability and willingness to take risk - Larry Swedroe" Asking Portfolio Questions
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by HomerJ »

One more thing to add:

Changing jobs is usually the only time you're going to get a BIG bump in salary. That negotiation is important. You only change jobs a few times in your life, and after you take the new job, you're back to HR-mandated annual 3% raises (4% for superstar performance!)

(The above is my experience at big corporations - the one time I worked for a small company, I did get 10% raises two years in a row)

But the main reason I have a decent salary today is from changing jobs every 5 years or so, and getting 25%-30% bumps each time.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Greg17 »

HomerJ wrote:
Greg17 wrote:I would say the quickest easiest way to respond with giving them the information they are looking for, but not giving away any information you don't want to, is a response like this
" To answer your salary request, I'm only targeting position in the 80-90k range. "
That's a decent answer. But know that they will offer you $80k
That is true, but if you think carefully beforehand and if you want 80k, give them a range that has 80k at the bottom , let them offer you exactly what you wanted and negotiate up.
I think the biggest problem is that most companies don't realize that the best talent doesn't play these games, they just walk.
I've been on both sides, and if I'm comfortable enough in my current role, and I see some "issues", I just walk away.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

HomerJ wrote:One more thing to add:

Changing jobs is usually the only time you're going to get a BIG bump in salary. That negotiation is important. You only change jobs a few times in your life, and after you take the new job, you're back to HR-mandated annual 3% raises (4% for superstar performance!)
(The above is my experience at big corporations - the one time I worked for a small company, I did get 10% raises two years in a row)

But the main reason I have a decent salary today is from changing jobs every 5 years or so, and getting 25%-30% bumps each time.
3%! Bwahahaaha, what industry do you work in that you get such a princely sum? Try half that, if you're lucky. The enviornment is such that employers are squeezing everyone but the c-level suite.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by HomerJ »

Grt2bOutdoors wrote:
HomerJ wrote:One more thing to add:

Changing jobs is usually the only time you're going to get a BIG bump in salary. That negotiation is important. You only change jobs a few times in your life, and after you take the new job, you're back to HR-mandated annual 3% raises (4% for superstar performance!)
(The above is my experience at big corporations - the one time I worked for a small company, I did get 10% raises two years in a row)

But the main reason I have a decent salary today is from changing jobs every 5 years or so, and getting 25%-30% bumps each time.
3%! Bwahahaaha, what industry do you work in that you get such a princely sum? Try half that, if you're lucky. The enviornment is such that employers are squeezing everyone but the c-level suite.
Heh, I should have mentioned after I got those two 10% raises at the small company, I then got 3 years of 0% raises. And then I changed jobs again... I wonder why?
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by investingdad »

Anyone every try a truthful reply like this:

"Well, I was thinking about how to answer this question should it come up. I believe it puts me at a disadvantage to disclose what I currently earn and I'd prefer not to provide it. That said, I'm targeting a role that will increase my responsibilities and put me at X salary based on typical industry ranges."
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by TomatoTomahto »

Grt2bOutdoors wrote:
TomatoTomahto wrote:I can understand being reluctant to state what you expect to make in the new job; that can vary based on quite a few factors, and it might be too early in the process to say.

As the positions become more senior, HR is less and less involved. As I said, I've been on both sides of the table, and my personal preference from both sides would be to hold off on specific comp questions, but sometimes it is useful to know if we're in the same ball park. How the question is responded to tells me a lot. In my experience, I've never seen a high-friction interview turn into a smooth hire/employment; it often gets worse, but never better than the beginning.
Yes and no. HR is always involved in some manner. It's easier if you have an inside contact to smooth the wheels, you can extend your requirements, some companies will acquiese and give what you demand, some will negotiate. The negotiator doesn't necessarily need to be someone in HR, but you can pretty much guarantee that the data they use to bargain with came from some industry database, competitive review, compensation consultant, proxy statements, etc.
Maybe it's just in the niche that my wife and I have worked in (IT for financial services), but there is such a wide range of compensation for similar-seeming positions, that HR can't possibly figure it out. I remember, almost two decades ago, a "VMS programmer" could make from a low of ~$60k to a high north of $400k. HR couldn't tell them apart, heck, most managers couldn't figure out which kind of VMS programmer they had in front of them, so a lot of discovery was required.

Around that time, I applied for a job (although I was happy where I was, professionally, my wife and I were in the same company, and you know...). When told what I was making in the HR pre-interview, HR said "oh no, we never pay like that, you'll never get that here." I suggested that perhaps I should follow through with the manager interview anyway. I did. I got the job. It wasn't at the top of my range, but it wasn't at the bottom either. After a while, even the HR person would smile at me in the hall :D
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by technovelist »

"In recent years my compensation has been in a range from XXX to YYY", with XXX being your lowest base salary and YYY including everything from bonuses, fringe benefits, the employer's part of SS, and everything else you can think of that might be considered compensation. This range could be 50% or more of the lower number.

Read "Rites of Passage at $100,000+" by John Lucht for the explanation of why this is a good idea. There's a lot of other good stuff in that book too, even if your current salary is less than that.
In theory, theory and practice are identical. In practice, they often differ.
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Professor Emeritus »

TomatoTomahto wrote:
Professor Emeritus wrote:
johnep wrote:
TomatoTomahto wrote:It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
+1. Refusing to answer the question would seem to quickly eliminate you from consideration.
At "We only Hire supine butt kissers inc" Sure

Either HR can figure out what the person is worth to the company, or they can't. What difference does it make what the person was paid elsewhere ?
I've hired many and been hired often. I wasn't in HR, but if our first meetings were this hostile and adversarial: never mind.
And I teach professional ethics, AKA speaking truth to power . One of the first signs of ethical breakdown at a corporation is that mid management acts like "little tin gods on wheels" Often they think they can bully applicants. . The QUESTION initiated the "hostile and adversarial " environment. Not the answer. In particular what is the rationale for the question? As others have pointed out it's equivalent to the Used car salesman asking you "what do you want to pay" . Any applicant would be well advised to be on their guard at any company that has so little regard for people. yes you can bully the timid and easily frightened.
IlliniDave
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by IlliniDave »

happymob wrote:
The Wizard wrote:Somehow, you've got to establish what is an acceptable number assuming they will want to hire you.
Otherwise you get a situation where you're making $80K in your present job and they offer you $75K for that new job, thus wasting everybody's time...
Unless you are willing to take a pay cut for better quality of life (better hours, no being on-call 24/7, better vacation, better retirement, etc).
Yep. The general assumption here is that there's a pay raise being angled for (nothing wrong with that). But, when I hit my semi-retirement I do plan to work, but I'll be going for something I find enjoyable, and potentially quite different than what I do now. I think it's perfectly reasonable that I'd be worth less to such an employer than I am to my present employer. So my concern is sort of the opposite, that by disclosing my salary I'll be automatically pricing myself out of a lot of opportunities I'd enjoy.

That said, it's been standard fare on job applications, etc., as long as I've been working. So for my case I'd answer honestly and say current salary is $X, but because of my situation I'd be perfectly content working for 0.4X, or whatever. If I was looking to maximize my income I'd say $X but I'm happy in my present position so it would take a special opportunity to lure me away or something.

Occasionally I get soft recruiting overtures from people I run across in the business and I have a ready answer for them that includes a signing bonus equal to a tax plus-up of the present value of what I'd forfeit in retirement benefits by leaving my current employer within 5 years of retirement. Ends the overtures quickly, I might add. :) But, if I found a taker ...
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IlliniDave
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by IlliniDave »

Professor Emeritus wrote:
TomatoTomahto wrote:
Professor Emeritus wrote:
johnep wrote:
TomatoTomahto wrote:It seems a perfectly fair question to me. What am I missing?
+1. Refusing to answer the question would seem to quickly eliminate you from consideration.
At "We only Hire supine butt kissers inc" Sure

Either HR can figure out what the person is worth to the company, or they can't. What difference does it make what the person was paid elsewhere ?
I've hired many and been hired often. I wasn't in HR, but if our first meetings were this hostile and adversarial: never mind.
And I teach professional ethics, AKA speaking truth to power . One of the first signs of ethical breakdown at a corporation is that mid management acts like "little tin gods on wheels" Often they think they can bully applicants. . The QUESTION initiated the "hostile and adversarial " environment. Not the answer. In particular what is the rationale for the question? As others have pointed out it's equivalent to the Used car salesman asking you "what do you want to pay" . Any applicant would be well advised to be on their guard at any company that has so little regard for people. yes you can bully the timid and easily frightened.
Having been peripherally involved in the process over the last couple decades, at least in my business, it's not an adversarial question at all, just practical. MegaCorps generally have salary structures and processes that confine the range of offers, which often have to be vetted before being tendered. They also tend to be bureaucratic and slow moving and iterative negotiations are tedious and time is money. Best to identify right away if there's a blatant mismatch, and also to try to avoid putting out an offer that could offend a prospective hire. At least that's their rationale.
Don't do something. Just stand there!
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by TomatoTomahto »

Professor Emeritus wrote:
... Deleted for brevity

At "We only Hire supine butt kissers inc" Sure

... Deleted for brevity

And I teach professional ethics, AKA speaking truth to power . One of the first signs of ethical breakdown at a corporation is that mid management acts like "little tin gods on wheels" Often they think they can bully applicants. . The QUESTION initiated the "hostile and adversarial " environment. Not the answer. In particular what is the rationale for the question? As others have pointed out it's equivalent to the Used car salesman asking you "what do you want to pay" . Any applicant would be well advised to be on their guard at any company that has so little regard for people. yes you can bully the timid and easily frightened.
Professor, I guess we'll agree to disagree. For the record, I don't think anyone would characterize me as a "supine butt kisser," timid, or easily frightened, but I answered the question when asked as a job applicant. On the other side of the table, I didn't consider it bullying or unethical (as inquiring about orientation, religion, procreation plans, etc. would have been) to see if we were in the same ballpark regarding compensation.

Finally, it might not fit in your worldview, but my wife and I found that if someone was hoping for, say $150k, and we liked them a lot and had the ability to do it, offering them $160k was a great use of $10k, and would have a much more powerful effect on their morale and motivation than an additional $10k at year end.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Clearly_Irrational
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Clearly_Irrational »

This is essentially an attempt to lowball you by anchoring the numbers where you're already at. I generally answer with something like "Is that an offer of employment?" then when they say no "Oh, then perhaps we should have that conversation later in the interviewing process". If they press, then personally I just tell them "I'm looking for X, is that within your range?". If they still press, you probably don't want to work there.
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frugaltype
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by frugaltype »

TomatoTomahto wrote:
Finally, it might not fit in your worldview, but my wife and I found that if someone was hoping for, say $150k, and we liked them a lot and had the ability to do it, offering them $160k was a great use of $10k, and would have a much more powerful effect on their morale and motivation than an additional $10k at year end.
True. This is like being in high school, and getting letters or phone calls from colleges inviting you to apply or selling you on the college. It's nice to be loved :-)
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Marmot
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Marmot »

Clearly_Irrational wrote:This is essentially an attempt to lowball you by anchoring the numbers where you're already at. I generally answer with something like "Is that an offer of employment?" then when they say no "Oh, then perhaps we should have that conversation later in the interviewing process". If they press, then personally I just tell them "I'm looking for X, is that within your range?". If they still press, you probably don't want to work there.

Some of you must have had terrible life experiences. I have been an HR Director for 15 years. We ask for salary, just like everything else. We don't scrutinze it. Our pay is our pay and we don't juggle it. We have a range - base it on experience and that is what we offer?. We try to make sure we can pay what the applicant is asking for, does that make sense? I think so. It is super understandable if someone comes from a high cost area to our lower cost area. Someone in an earlier post said the "interviewee is in the drivers seat", Hmmm...i don't think that has been true for a large segment ofthe population since 2008. The job environment is thawing, but not very quick.

To the original poster. We look for ommissions on the application, you leave stuff off it tells us that you don't really pay attention to details or have something to hide (like that little prison term or felony conviction)... not that there is anything wrong with that. Worst comes to worst, put "will discuss" down. Bottom line is if I ask you should probably be telling me. You can choose to stand your ethical, moral ground, but if other applicants are providing complete information, chances are your application goes in the "no phone call pile." I am not wasting my time.

And many companies I know don't do credit checks....those are rife with biases and legal concerns.
Marty....don't go to the year 2020....Dr. Emmett Brown
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by TomatoTomahto »

frugaltype wrote:True. This is like being in high school, and getting letters or phone calls from colleges inviting you to apply or selling you on the college. It's nice to be loved :-)
Great timing on your example. Son is literally getting in the car to go to his MIT alumnus interview.

I've found that it's the unexpected compensation that has results far in excess of what it costs. There seems to be a strong anti-company bias in this thread, and maybe I've just been lucky, or perhaps I'm Pollyanna, but IME companies are happy to treat productive employees well. Maybe I'm just a glass half full kind of guy.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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yatesd
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by yatesd »

I just recently transitioned roles and almost every large company had an online process that required disclosing current salary (the asterisk with required next to it). I suppose that I could have made it up, but just seemed better to be truthful.

I agree, that many larger organizations have either ranges or fixed plans so they need to understand if they can compete.

However, just because someone makes X, doesn't mean they can't negotiate or justify what they want (assuming the market supports it). I personally don't switch jobs to keep everything related to compensation the same...what's the point?
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tetractys
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by tetractys »

Asking for a salary history is a standard question for many positions. You can give any answer you wish ... and that will certainly reflect your attitude. My tendency has always been to simple honesty; it's never reduced or interfered with the salary I negotiated. -- Tet
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by TomatoTomahto »

yatesd wrote:I just recently transitioned roles and almost every large company had an online process that required disclosing current salary (the asterisk with required next to it). I suppose that I could have made it up, but just seemed better to be truthful.
Some years ago, I had a situation where someone omitted a youthful indiscretion. I could not hire him because he would not have been bondable at a bank. He could have killed his grandmother with a shovel and gotten hired (well, in theory anyway), but an act of dishonesty on an application is a deal-breaker for banking.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Clearly_Irrational
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Re: How to respond to request for current salary in an inter

Post by Clearly_Irrational »

tetractys wrote:Asking for a salary history is a standard question for many positions. You can give any answer you wish ... and that will certainly reflect your attitude. My tendency has always been to simple honesty; it's never reduced or interfered with the salary I negotiated. -- Tet
Asking for it up front, say as an attachment with the resume or as part of an online process is fine. You know exactly what's going on when that happens and I provide the data as requested. If they wait all the way till the interview before bringing it up that's fishier and generally a negotiating tactic. I'll be the first one to say that employers tend to get more reasonable as you move up the value chain so your impression of the process will probably depend on your current salary bracket.
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