What's with all the jobs that require you to give your previous salary?

[alkemyst]

They can't verify it so why do they ask this question?

IMHO what you made has no bearing on what you are looking to make in a new position.

Maybe you were in a job that didn't reward your current skill set, or maybe you picked up new skill sets that are now worth more.

How do you answer this when asked?

 

[arcenite]

Over nine-thousand!

 

[RichUK]

I've never been asked.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

I think it's to gauge why you want the job. Are you looking for job satisfaction, or just a larger paycheck?

 

[BassBomb]

have balls and put it higher than you actually got

i have only noticed this on low level jobs like fast food/grocery

but I have been asked how much I expect to make

 

[Fingolfin269]

Yeah I agree with you op. It has been a long time since I had to answer one of those but if I remember correctly I just bumped whatever my current salary was by some believable amount.

 

[sjwaste]

Some previous employers will verify salary if you give them permission to do it. The Fed Govt uses The Work Number, which will allow you to do a limited verification of dates or a full salary verification, depending on what the employee elects.

Anyway, I usually don't get asked my current salary up front. Rather, they ask what I'm looking for. So there it pays to do some research on the salary range of the position and not price yourself too low or too high. You can politely ask for their range, and if they tell you, just say that you think you'll be able to work something out within those bounds.

For me, I give them a specific reason why I really don't think my current salary factors. I'm a government employee now, so I usually just say something along the lines of, "Well, I'm in X range, but I also work for the government. I'm aware that the private sector range for this skillset and level of responsibility is along the lines of Y and Z, and I am comfortable within that range."

 

[Alone]

They want to know what to offer you as a salary in relation to what others value you at. It's really simple.

There's no list that decides what you're worth. You're worth whatever everyone else is willing to pay, plus a little more in order to get you.

 

[gophins72]

when interviewed by a company, one of the interviewers told me that this question would come form HR at the end of the interview and to give them some higher amount otherwise i'll be low balled.

 

[alkemyst]

have balls and put it higher than you actually got

i have only noticed this on low level jobs like fast food/grocery

but I have been asked how much I expect to make

Interesting...at the low end I have never been asked. It's sort of odd they would since a fast food/grocery job should be within $2-5/hr anywhere.

These jobs are upper 5 figure...

 

[Genx87]

I think it also gives them a gauge if their position is something you will be willing to interview. If you are working right now for 75K\year and their job offers 65K\year. They can weed you out since the there is a real small chance you are willing to take a 10K cut.

I also think if they dont have a salary requirement it can be a guage for what they will offer you. If you say 70K\year they may top it by 10% to lure you.

That said, I typically tell them my previous job was paying what I want to work for with them. If I am making 65k\year and I am aiming for 80K. I will tell them I am currently working for 75K\year. In the end it really doesnt matter in my mind. Either they will hit my requirements or I will walk.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Plus what exactly is defined by 'salary'? It often doesn't come to a number that is really as simple as the one on your pay check. What are the other non-salary perks worth? Get a free car? The best insurance in the world? 401k match? Pension? Etc.

Maybe over 9000 really is the best answer.

 

[her209]

The answer is pretty obvious:

The hiring company will use it to their advantage to:
- offer a low ball salary
- to screen out people who they think they can't lowball

 

[JS80]

I use that data to filter out people I can't afford. I always look for people who are moving upwards. If the budget for the position is at $80k and I am looking for $80k talent, I'd rather hire the guy who is/was making $50k and moving up to $80k, than someone who got laid off with the previous salary of $90k and is moving down to $80k. In my experience the guy that moved up will stay much longer and will have lower turnover vs the latter who will leave as soon as he finds another opportunity.

I would never use the data to lowball - that is bad hiring tactic. I lowball and the guy will either quit or find somewhere else that will pay for his talent level. Granted there are companies that use it to lowball but you do not want to work at such a place.

 

[sjwaste]

I use that data to filter out people I can't afford. I always look for people who are moving upwards. If the budget for the position is at $80k and I am looking for $80k talent, I'd rather hire the guy who is/was making $50k and moving up to $80k, than someone who got laid off with the previous salary of $90k and is moving down to $80k. In my experience the guy that moved up will stay much longer and will have lower turnover vs the latter who will leave as soon as he finds another opportunity.

I would never use the data to lowball - that is bad hiring tactic. I lowball and the guy will either quit or find somewhere else that will pay for his talent level. Granted there are companies that use it to lowball but you do not want to work at such a place.

This is entirely true.

 

[geno]

have balls and put it higher than you actually got

They can verify what you used to make. I'm not sure if an employer is obligated to divulge that info (doubtful) or if it shows up in a background check, but if you get caught lying, good luck.

 

[ultimatebob]

have balls and put it higher than you actually got

i have only noticed this on low level jobs like fast food/grocery

but I have been asked how much I expect to make

Bad idea. I've had employers ask for copies of your previous W2's as proof of prior employment. If the number doesn't match what you put on your application, you're screwed.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

They like being evil

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2011-01-19/?CmtOrder=Rating&CmtDir=DESC

 

[Engineer]

My last two interviews asked my current salary. The first one offered just a few hundred dollars over the amount but since I was losing my job, I didn't (stupidly) counter higher. The 2nd one asked and I told them immediately that I was wanting more. I asked for $10,000 more and in the end, we settled on $6,000 more.

 

[BassBomb]

They can verify what you used to make. I'm not sure if an employer is obligated to divulge that info (doubtful) or if it shows up in a background check, but if you get caught lying, good luck.

Bad idea. I've had employers ask for copies of your previous W2's as proof of prior employment. If the number doesn't match what you put on your application, you're screwed.

Never said I would do it

 

[Capt Caveman]

Pretty easy. If the position's max salary is $100k and you last made $115k, they'll either stop right there or if they decide to interview you, let you know that this is the salary max for the position and ask if you're still interested.

 

[XZeroII]

I use that data to filter out people I can't afford. I always look for people who are moving upwards. If the budget for the position is at $80k and I am looking for $80k talent, I'd rather hire the guy who is/was making $50k and moving up to $80k, than someone who got laid off with the previous salary of $90k and is moving down to $80k. In my experience the guy that moved up will stay much longer and will have lower turnover vs the latter who will leave as soon as he finds another opportunity.

I would never use the data to lowball - that is bad hiring tactic. I lowball and the guy will either quit or find somewhere else that will pay for his talent level. Granted there are companies that use it to lowball but you do not want to work at such a place.

Exactly. When you're on the hiring side, there is a lot of strategy involved. If you hire the wrong person, you can waste a good $20,000 finding out that mistake. If the person doing the hiring knows anything, they won't try any tricks. They simply want the best person for the job for what they can afford.

 

[Capt Caveman]

The answer is pretty obvious:

The hiring company will use it to their advantage to:
- offer a low ball salary
- to screen out people who they think they can't lowball

And would be pretty stupid. When I moved back to MA from CA, a company offered me X even though I told them I made X+$10k, I accepted the offer and left three months later after finding a better job. If they had matched my previous salary, I probably wouldn't have continued looking.

 

[mmntech]

The answer is pretty obvious:

The hiring company will use it to their advantage to:
- offer a low ball salary
- to screen out people who they think they can't lowball

Bingo. Most places today would pay top professionals minimum wage if they thought they could get away with it.

 

[erikistired]

did you get fired from applebees? looking for a new waiting job?