5 ms·

Is this normal? Job application asks for salary at previous jobs

13 points by akkartik 16y ago

I'm filling out an application that requires me to tell the company how much I was paid (starting and ending) at all my previous jobs. I've never encountered this sort of question in the application before. Have others? What would you do?

fr0man 16y ago
It's very common. The purpose is really twofold: they want to make sure they aren't going to waste their time hiring you for a $15/hr job when you've made double that for the last 5 years and are likely to leave when something better comes along, and also to give them a leg up in the salary negotiation/offer phase. I've read advice articles saying not to answer the question, but when we were hiring people, refusing to answer would have been a HUGE negative.
- akkartik 16y ago
  And it's a required field so there's really no way for me to not answer.
  - steverb 16y ago
    I always answer with the salary I want to be paid for the job. Let them know up front where I expect the salary to be.
    - hga 16y ago
      That is a mistake when they later ask you to bring in a recent pay stub.
      - fliph 16y ago
        No legitimate employer would ask for paystubs from previous jobs.
        hga 16y ago
        Indeed, and you can avoid the ones that do this by never divulging your salary history. You definitely don't want to lie about something that can be so easily checked.
- noodle 16y ago
  > but when we were hiring people, refusing to answer would have been a HUGE negative. that is really rough, though. it makes it difficult for people to jump out of their salary bracket if they basically got the shaft with their previous employment. especially in a tough economy. one of the (many possible) reasons why people leave their former employment is because they feel underpaid, and to use that underpayment as a measurement on what to offer them next seems at least somewhat unfair.
  - fr0man 16y ago
    Very very true. But they put it there to benefit themselves, not the applicant. It sucks, but if they try to use your salary history to lowball you, that's when you negotiate. I'd just explain I felt I was previously underpaid and that the offer is too low. Of course, then you run the risk of not getting the job at all.
    - noodle 16y ago
      i understand the purpose, of course. but if i were job hunting, unless there were something special about a particular job, i wouldn't even bother to negotiate with them if they low-balled me. i'd just move on. and thus, the employer loses out on talent unless they're providing something special on their own. its more lose-lose. of course, unless you're not looking for talent, and you're looking for someone who would be okay with taking a job under market.
  - ido 16y ago
    > it makes it difficult for people to jump out of their salary bracket if they basically got the shaft with their previous employment. Nobody is forcing you to tell the truth - after all, they have no way of finding out anyway.
    - arghnoname 16y ago
      I've had jobs ask for pay stubs.
bavcyc 16y ago
It is a normal question but not something you have to answer. I've not been offered a job because I did not discuss my previous salary with the new company according to someone that knew. I'll put zero down if it is a required field. If it is in an interview, I'll deflect. If the company wants to offer me a job then we can negotiate at that point. And most likely my new job isn't going to be the exact same as any previous position.
AmberShah 16y ago
I have always answered truthfully, but have not been shy about expecting a reasonable jump up from my current salary. If I'm making 80K then I might put that down and once we get to the salary negotiation part say "the range I am looking for is $90k to 100" or something. I know they say that you should never say a number first but I've never gotten away with that. But actually it has worked out well for me. The key is not to talk about it with them until you get to the END and they've decided to make an offer. Any employer who thinks they can hire you just what you made before is an idiot anyways.
eliot_sykes 16y ago
How about telling them your previous pay if they agree to tell you how much they paid the person you could be replacing. I'd be tempted to put down zero - I hope people in the position of reading job applications will understand that this is a piece of valuable information that it is perfectly reasonable to want to keep to yourself.
frossie 16y ago
I recommend you read "How to handle requests for a salary history" for some good advice: http://askamanager.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-handle-requests-for-salary.html http://askamanager.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-handle-reques... Really it boils down to "in an ideal world they shouldn't ask you, but refusing might well cost you the job, so be aware that is the risk you take".
jsean 16y ago
You can try saying that you committed to your past employers to keep your salary confidential, and you need to honor that.
JacobAldridge 16y ago
Good organisations realise that the value they offer (and, therefore, their competitors for talent offer) includes but is not limited to salaries. The last time I had to do this - in an interview, not an application where it may have been more difficult - was to share all the relevant information. Ie, "My base salary was blah, but they also covered these expenses (gas & phone iirc), provided me with secure city parking, covered all training expenses, allowed me to work from home when I had meetings on my side of town, and invited me to participate in state and national strategy meetings." (You could also add cultural benefits - they weren't that relevant in my example because culture was a key reason I was leaving.) Doing this demonstrates that you are interested in more than the money, and also allows you (at this stage or during the offer) to discuss all the benefits rather than a dollar-based negotiation. I ended up with a much higher base salary, but funding my own expenses, which was ultimately more profitable for me.
gord 16y ago
Not important whether its normal... if we all said yeah sure its normal, would you still feel comfortable doing it? So, ask is this a rational, fair, acceptable, professional, moral request on their part, and are you agreeable to it? Id tell them to go take a flying fuck at the moon, but I've read Kilgore Trout!

13 points by akkartik 16y ago

fr0man 16y ago

It's very common. The purpose is really twofold: they want to make sure they aren't going to waste their time hiring you for a $15/hr job when you've made double that for the last 5 years and are likely to leave when something better comes along, and also to give them a leg up in the salary negotiation/offer phase. I've read advice articles saying not to answer the question, but when we were hiring people, refusing to answer would have been a HUGE negative.

akkartik 16y ago
And it's a required field so there's really no way for me to not answer.
- steverb 16y ago
  I always answer with the salary I want to be paid for the job. Let them know up front where I expect the salary to be.
  - hga 16y ago
    That is a mistake when they later ask you to bring in a recent pay stub.
    - fliph 16y ago
      No legitimate employer would ask for paystubs from previous jobs.
      - hga 16y ago
        Indeed, and you can avoid the ones that do this by never divulging your salary history. You definitely don't want to lie about something that can be so easily checked.
noodle 16y ago
> but when we were hiring people, refusing to answer would have been a HUGE negative. that is really rough, though. it makes it difficult for people to jump out of their salary bracket if they basically got the shaft with their previous employment. especially in a tough economy. one of the (many possible) reasons why people leave their former employment is because they feel underpaid, and to use that underpayment as a measurement on what to offer them next seems at least somewhat unfair.
- fr0man 16y ago
  Very very true. But they put it there to benefit themselves, not the applicant. It sucks, but if they try to use your salary history to lowball you, that's when you negotiate. I'd just explain I felt I was previously underpaid and that the offer is too low. Of course, then you run the risk of not getting the job at all.
  - noodle 16y ago
    i understand the purpose, of course. but if i were job hunting, unless there were something special about a particular job, i wouldn't even bother to negotiate with them if they low-balled me. i'd just move on. and thus, the employer loses out on talent unless they're providing something special on their own. its more lose-lose. of course, unless you're not looking for talent, and you're looking for someone who would be okay with taking a job under market.
- ido 16y ago
  > it makes it difficult for people to jump out of their salary bracket if they basically got the shaft with their previous employment. Nobody is forcing you to tell the truth - after all, they have no way of finding out anyway.
  - arghnoname 16y ago
    I've had jobs ask for pay stubs.

bavcyc 16y ago

It is a normal question but not something you have to answer. I've not been offered a job because I did not discuss my previous salary with the new company according to someone that knew. I'll put zero down if it is a required field. If it is in an interview, I'll deflect. If the company wants to offer me a job then we can negotiate at that point. And most likely my new job isn't going to be the exact same as any previous position.

AmberShah 16y ago

I have always answered truthfully, but have not been shy about expecting a reasonable jump up from my current salary. If I'm making 80K then I might put that down and once we get to the salary negotiation part say "the range I am looking for is $90k to 100" or something. I know they say that you should never say a number first but I've never gotten away with that. But actually it has worked out well for me. The key is not to talk about it with them until you get to the END and they've decided to make an offer. Any employer who thinks they can hire you just what you made before is an idiot anyways.

eliot_sykes 16y ago

How about telling them your previous pay if they agree to tell you how much they paid the person you could be replacing. I'd be tempted to put down zero - I hope people in the position of reading job applications will understand that this is a piece of valuable information that it is perfectly reasonable to want to keep to yourself.

frossie 16y ago

I recommend you read "How to handle requests for a salary history" for some good advice: http://askamanager.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-handle-requests-for-salary.html http://askamanager.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-handle-reques... Really it boils down to "in an ideal world they shouldn't ask you, but refusing might well cost you the job, so be aware that is the risk you take".

jsean 16y ago

You can try saying that you committed to your past employers to keep your salary confidential, and you need to honor that.

JacobAldridge 16y ago

Good organisations realise that the value they offer (and, therefore, their competitors for talent offer) includes but is not limited to salaries. The last time I had to do this - in an interview, not an application where it may have been more difficult - was to share all the relevant information. Ie, "My base salary was blah, but they also covered these expenses (gas & phone iirc), provided me with secure city parking, covered all training expenses, allowed me to work from home when I had meetings on my side of town, and invited me to participate in state and national strategy meetings." (You could also add cultural benefits - they weren't that relevant in my example because culture was a key reason I was leaving.) Doing this demonstrates that you are interested in more than the money, and also allows you (at this stage or during the offer) to discuss all the benefits rather than a dollar-based negotiation. I ended up with a much higher base salary, but funding my own expenses, which was ultimately more profitable for me.

gord 16y ago

Not important whether its normal... if we all said yeah sure its normal, would you still feel comfortable doing it? So, ask is this a rational, fair, acceptable, professional, moral request on their part, and are you agreeable to it? Id tell them to go take a flying fuck at the moon, but I've read Kilgore Trout!