7 ms·

How do you respond when they ask you for your salary information? Would it be perceuved as rude to say "I decline to state"?

p4wnc6 11y ago
I have practiced that part and read just about everything I can find about it. Generally I say something like, "I appreciate the need to consider salary as an important part of the process, but since we have only just started talking about the position I feel it would be best to make sure that I really am the sort of technical and cultural fit you are looking for. If we can determine that I am the right fit for the role, then the salary information will fall into place at the appropriate time. But if it seems that I am not the right fit for your team, then no amount of salary discussions will be able to help us." I have a few variations on that kind of description that I use. It's entirely possible that the way I say it can come off as rude, and I think that did happen to me especially a few times when I first started doing this. But I have practiced it, asked friends for advice about how to say it better, how it sounds, etc., and researched a lot about this online. So I have some confidence that it is coming off as strong and assertive, but not rude, and it is communicated clearly in good-faith because I truly am primarily interested in whether the cultural fit is a good one. Even so, these kinds of HR-approved ways of talking only ever result in about a 95% chance of immediate rejection. Whenever I have made it past the initial question about salary, and eventually salary comes up again towards the stage when an offer is made, I have a different way of talking about it. At that stage, if they ask me again, I will usually say something like, "I have spoken with the team and had a great chance to learn about your company and how I could fit in with this role. If you have a particular salary range that you'd like to share with me, I can definitely let you know how it will match up with my expectations." Again, I have some slight variations on that, but it's more or less the same idea of changing their question asked of me into my question asked of them. They can't keep coming back and specifically asking me for a number without seeming very awkward, and if they do that it's sometimes a red flag and I would usually be happy walking away if they were to heavily press me at that point. Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, when people have been OK with all of this and they have actually come back with their offer, it has been not just a tiny bit below my ideal, but way, way off base from what I was previously earning, let alone what I was actually seeking to earn in the new role.
incepted 11y ago
State the one you want, not the one you're currently making. They won't (and legally should't be able to) check. And if they do and somehow, your previous employer disclosed this to them (a big no no), you can always say "I was underpaid then and what I was making there is not relevant to the position I'm applying to with your right now. I also think I've learned a lot in my past position, which justifies this jump in compensation".
- HR0000000 11y ago
  It's absolutely not at all illegal to check and is a very standard part of background checks.
  - gnoway 11y ago
    Not sure why this was downvoted, it's not illegal and companies do it via background checks. Quick searches reveal this is a popular question, spot checks of the answers agree that it's not illegal and quite common.
    - learc83 11y ago
      I think the OP means they can't legally access this information other than by getting you or your previous employer to disclose it. Most large companies won't give out your past salary information, so if they don't force you to provide proof, it's not very likely they will be able to verify it. >via background checks Background checks are normally done via a 3rd party background check company, and they don't have access to this kind of data.
      - incepted 11y ago
        Exactly, thanks for clarifying this for me. In the US, this is a legal minefield and when a potential employer calls a past employer for references, that past employer will very often not reveal anything more than "We can confirm that this person was employed by us from date1 to date2" and that's it. They will not disclose your salary, what you did, your organization, who you reported to and who reported to you, your performance reviews and anything else of that nature because all of this extra information is grounds for you to sue them later if you don't get the job you're currently applying to.
spinlock 11y ago
Never "decline". I say I consider the entire compensation package because I realize they are a startup and need to sweeten their offer with stock because they don't have the revenue to pay a market rate. It's important to neg them a little when you guess what they will offer. Male them self consious about lowballing you without insulting them. I actually am beginning to think that its weak to ask them to throw out a number. Why not state a deal that's 10% better than what you want? Are you really going to be heartbroken if you get more than you want?
- mryan 11y ago
  > Why not state a deal that's 10% better than what you want? Are you really going to be heartbroken if you get more than you want? Because you might be leaving money on the table. What if the company was prepared to offer you 20% above your desired rate? Once you tell them +10% is your floor, they have no reason to offer above that.
  - spinlock 11y ago
    That's why I think its weak. It's driven by fomo rather than going for what you want. Throwing out the first number let's you anchor the negotiation. It puts you in control.
wickedlogic 11y ago
Tell them your salary is 'confidential information', your current employer often likes to suggest it is...
JoshDoody 11y ago
This is my standard recommended answer: "I'm not comfortable sharing that information [my current salary]. I'd prefer to focus on the value I can add to your company and learn more about this opportunity. I want this to be a big step forward for me in terms of both responsibility and compensation." You can obviously adjust it for your own situation, but the idea is "I'm not comfortable telling you my current or desired salary. Let's keep going, please." I call this "The Dreaded Salary Question" and you can see a better clip and a lengthy Q&A on this specific question in this salary negotiation workshop I did in Orlando last week: http://bit.ly/21zFG5q http://bit.ly/21zFG5q

p4wnc6 11y ago

I have practiced that part and read just about everything I can find about it. Generally I say something like, "I appreciate the need to consider salary as an important part of the process, but since we have only just started talking about the position I feel it would be best to make sure that I really am the sort of technical and cultural fit you are looking for. If we can determine that I am the right fit for the role, then the salary information will fall into place at the appropriate time. But if it seems that I am not the right fit for your team, then no amount of salary discussions will be able to help us." I have a few variations on that kind of description that I use. It's entirely possible that the way I say it can come off as rude, and I think that did happen to me especially a few times when I first started doing this. But I have practiced it, asked friends for advice about how to say it better, how it sounds, etc., and researched a lot about this online. So I have some confidence that it is coming off as strong and assertive, but not rude, and it is communicated clearly in good-faith because I truly am primarily interested in whether the cultural fit is a good one. Even so, these kinds of HR-approved ways of talking only ever result in about a 95% chance of immediate rejection. Whenever I have made it past the initial question about salary, and eventually salary comes up again towards the stage when an offer is made, I have a different way of talking about it. At that stage, if they ask me again, I will usually say something like, "I have spoken with the team and had a great chance to learn about your company and how I could fit in with this role. If you have a particular salary range that you'd like to share with me, I can definitely let you know how it will match up with my expectations." Again, I have some slight variations on that, but it's more or less the same idea of changing their question asked of me into my question asked of them. They can't keep coming back and specifically asking me for a number without seeming very awkward, and if they do that it's sometimes a red flag and I would usually be happy walking away if they were to heavily press me at that point. Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, when people have been OK with all of this and they have actually come back with their offer, it has been not just a tiny bit below my ideal, but way, way off base from what I was previously earning, let alone what I was actually seeking to earn in the new role.

incepted 11y ago

State the one you want, not the one you're currently making. They won't (and legally should't be able to) check. And if they do and somehow, your previous employer disclosed this to them (a big no no), you can always say "I was underpaid then and what I was making there is not relevant to the position I'm applying to with your right now. I also think I've learned a lot in my past position, which justifies this jump in compensation".

HR0000000 11y ago
It's absolutely not at all illegal to check and is a very standard part of background checks.
- gnoway 11y ago
  Not sure why this was downvoted, it's not illegal and companies do it via background checks. Quick searches reveal this is a popular question, spot checks of the answers agree that it's not illegal and quite common.
  - learc83 11y ago
    I think the OP means they can't legally access this information other than by getting you or your previous employer to disclose it. Most large companies won't give out your past salary information, so if they don't force you to provide proof, it's not very likely they will be able to verify it. >via background checks Background checks are normally done via a 3rd party background check company, and they don't have access to this kind of data.
    - incepted 11y ago
      Exactly, thanks for clarifying this for me. In the US, this is a legal minefield and when a potential employer calls a past employer for references, that past employer will very often not reveal anything more than "We can confirm that this person was employed by us from date1 to date2" and that's it. They will not disclose your salary, what you did, your organization, who you reported to and who reported to you, your performance reviews and anything else of that nature because all of this extra information is grounds for you to sue them later if you don't get the job you're currently applying to.

spinlock 11y ago

Never "decline". I say I consider the entire compensation package because I realize they are a startup and need to sweeten their offer with stock because they don't have the revenue to pay a market rate. It's important to neg them a little when you guess what they will offer. Male them self consious about lowballing you without insulting them. I actually am beginning to think that its weak to ask them to throw out a number. Why not state a deal that's 10% better than what you want? Are you really going to be heartbroken if you get more than you want?

mryan 11y ago
> Why not state a deal that's 10% better than what you want? Are you really going to be heartbroken if you get more than you want? Because you might be leaving money on the table. What if the company was prepared to offer you 20% above your desired rate? Once you tell them +10% is your floor, they have no reason to offer above that.
- spinlock 11y ago
  That's why I think its weak. It's driven by fomo rather than going for what you want. Throwing out the first number let's you anchor the negotiation. It puts you in control.

wickedlogic 11y ago

Tell them your salary is 'confidential information', your current employer often likes to suggest it is...

JoshDoody 11y ago

This is my standard recommended answer: "I'm not comfortable sharing that information [my current salary]. I'd prefer to focus on the value I can add to your company and learn more about this opportunity. I want this to be a big step forward for me in terms of both responsibility and compensation." You can obviously adjust it for your own situation, but the idea is "I'm not comfortable telling you my current or desired salary. Let's keep going, please." I call this "The Dreaded Salary Question" and you can see a better clip and a lengthy Q&A on this specific question in this salary negotiation workshop I did in Orlando last week: http://bit.ly/21zFG5q http://bit.ly/21zFG5q