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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 empl

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.
    - mdpopescu 11y ago
      When I was hired by Merrill Lynch, in Dublin, they asked for my bank statements for the last ten years in order to verify that I was indeed making what I said. (The only annoying thing was that I had to scan 75 pages... boooring.)
      - ec109685 11y ago
        If they don't trust the number you were quoting, I wonder why they would trust you to scan.
      - franbulax 11y ago
        Wow, seriously? Full rectal as well?
        mdpopescu 11y ago
        It was the first time I worked for a bank; I just assumed it's "how things are done" :) I'm going to be more careful next time. :D
    - nommm-nommm 11y ago
      >Background checks are normally done via a 3rd party background check company, and they don't have access to this kind of data. Yes they do. There's a company owned by Equifax called The Work Number that collects such information. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Work_Number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Work_Number
      - learc83 11y ago
        The only way The Work Number has access to your salary information is if your employer has given it to them. If your employer is willing to give that out then yes a hiring company can verify your salary. We are back to my original point that the only way a hiring company can verify salary data is by asking your employer (or having 3rd party ask for them) or forcing you to verify it.
  - cmdrfred 11y ago
    Why is it that "What are you making are your current job, we will verify it." is acceptable but "What was this companies net revenue last quarter" is not. The game is so clearly rigged.
    - tamana 11y ago
      Public companies publish quarter results..
      - cmdrfred 11y ago
        According to Forbes: "less than 1 percent of the 27 million businesses in the U.S. are publicly traded on the major exchanges." [1] [1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/sageworks/2013/05/26/4-things-you-dont-know-about-private-companies/#224c8acd70ce http://www.forbes.com/sites/sageworks/2013/05/26/4-things-yo...
        learc83 11y ago
        That's true but far more than 1% of employees are employed by publicly traded companies. Most of the 27 million businesses have no employees at all--there are only around 5 million businesses with employees.
    - p4wnc6 11y ago
      The company bears far less risk than the employee. The company can easily fire you if it doesn't work out, whereas most employees can't suddenly leave a job that treats them badly. So employees can ask lots of questions about company financial health, as part of trying to reduce the far larger risk they are taking. Meanwhile, a company doesn't need to know your salary history to make an informed opinion of whether they want to hire you and for what amount of pay.
timechanic 11y ago
I've only ever done this (caveat: in the US, where they can't legally check by calling the company directly). Increase your previous salary by 20-30%, even more if it's the norm. I've even countered with "my current co just countered to keep me..." Gotta have some chutzpah.
- stale2002 11y ago
  Shoot thats a good one I need to add to my list! Fake counteroffer from own employer. (Fake competing offer from a different company probably wouldn't work, because they would ask for an "offer letter". A counteroffer from current company isn't going to require proof)
  - jwatte 11y ago
    I'm all for solid negotiating tactics, but if you consider telling an untruth, you are not welcome on my team. You may still find other teams in the world that you can dupe, but in the end, I expect lies to hurt your overall prospects (in life as well as work.)
    - cname 11y ago
      Really? Because people are so honest? Everyone on your team tells lies every single day, I guarantee it. What you're saying contradicts the common advice to oversell yourself (AKA "fake it til you make it").
      - helicase 11y ago
        I always find it amusing when people refuse to lie on certain things based on some sort of moral-code or principle and then spew out lies for tons of others.
    - stale2002 11y ago
      The whole point is that its impossible to verify....
chucksmash 11y ago
What do you mean that this is a big no-no? Can you provide a source for that? I was under the opposite impression and I'd be interested to learn more. The reason I ask is I've certainly worked at companies that shared salary info if asked about your tenure there. In fact, it was one of the very few things they would share (in addition to start date and end date). Maybe it varies by state?

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.
  - mdpopescu 11y ago
    When I was hired by Merrill Lynch, in Dublin, they asked for my bank statements for the last ten years in order to verify that I was indeed making what I said. (The only annoying thing was that I had to scan 75 pages... boooring.)
    - ec109685 11y ago
      If they don't trust the number you were quoting, I wonder why they would trust you to scan.
    - franbulax 11y ago
      Wow, seriously? Full rectal as well?
      - mdpopescu 11y ago
        It was the first time I worked for a bank; I just assumed it's "how things are done" :) I'm going to be more careful next time. :D
  - nommm-nommm 11y ago
    >Background checks are normally done via a 3rd party background check company, and they don't have access to this kind of data. Yes they do. There's a company owned by Equifax called The Work Number that collects such information. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Work_Number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Work_Number
    - learc83 11y ago
      The only way The Work Number has access to your salary information is if your employer has given it to them. If your employer is willing to give that out then yes a hiring company can verify your salary. We are back to my original point that the only way a hiring company can verify salary data is by asking your employer (or having 3rd party ask for them) or forcing you to verify it.
- cmdrfred 11y ago
  Why is it that "What are you making are your current job, we will verify it." is acceptable but "What was this companies net revenue last quarter" is not. The game is so clearly rigged.
  - tamana 11y ago
    Public companies publish quarter results..
    - cmdrfred 11y ago
      According to Forbes: "less than 1 percent of the 27 million businesses in the U.S. are publicly traded on the major exchanges." [1] [1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/sageworks/2013/05/26/4-things-you-dont-know-about-private-companies/#224c8acd70ce http://www.forbes.com/sites/sageworks/2013/05/26/4-things-yo...
      - learc83 11y ago
        That's true but far more than 1% of employees are employed by publicly traded companies. Most of the 27 million businesses have no employees at all--there are only around 5 million businesses with employees.
  - p4wnc6 11y ago
    The company bears far less risk than the employee. The company can easily fire you if it doesn't work out, whereas most employees can't suddenly leave a job that treats them badly. So employees can ask lots of questions about company financial health, as part of trying to reduce the far larger risk they are taking. Meanwhile, a company doesn't need to know your salary history to make an informed opinion of whether they want to hire you and for what amount of pay.

timechanic 11y ago

I've only ever done this (caveat: in the US, where they can't legally check by calling the company directly). Increase your previous salary by 20-30%, even more if it's the norm. I've even countered with "my current co just countered to keep me..." Gotta have some chutzpah.

stale2002 11y ago
Shoot thats a good one I need to add to my list! Fake counteroffer from own employer. (Fake competing offer from a different company probably wouldn't work, because they would ask for an "offer letter". A counteroffer from current company isn't going to require proof)
- jwatte 11y ago
  I'm all for solid negotiating tactics, but if you consider telling an untruth, you are not welcome on my team. You may still find other teams in the world that you can dupe, but in the end, I expect lies to hurt your overall prospects (in life as well as work.)
  - cname 11y ago
    Really? Because people are so honest? Everyone on your team tells lies every single day, I guarantee it. What you're saying contradicts the common advice to oversell yourself (AKA "fake it til you make it").
    - helicase 11y ago
      I always find it amusing when people refuse to lie on certain things based on some sort of moral-code or principle and then spew out lies for tons of others.
  - stale2002 11y ago
    The whole point is that its impossible to verify....

chucksmash 11y ago

What do you mean that this is a big no-no? Can you provide a source for that? I was under the opposite impression and I'd be interested to learn more. The reason I ask is I've certainly worked at companies that shared salary info if asked about your tenure there. In fact, it was one of the very few things they would share (in addition to start date and end date). Maybe it varies by state?