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Moving jobs is the best way to get a large pay increase, especially if you're underpaid in your current job. Once you tell them how much you currently make, you

Moving jobs is the best way to get a large pay increase, especially if you're underpaid in your current job. Once you tell them how much you currently make, you've screwed yourself. This is a negotiating tactic used by employers to know how much they'll set as their upper bound for pay. Your employer may have strict pay bounds set, but a lot of places don't. The pay can vary highly between candidates, especially if the candidates are weak negotiators. If you disclose your current salary, you're a weak negotiator, but employers put a lot of pressure on you to disclose it. I tend to tell employers that I'm not allowed to disclose my salary, which ends that part of the conversation, but most people don't know to do this. This law benefits you just as much as it does women.

syshum 9y ago
I dont disagree with much of what you said, I am mainly speaking out against the pay gap myth. As far as disclosing pay, I alway deflect it and treat the question as them asking me what my salary expectations are, which likely ends up doing the same thing, but I dont think I have ever told a company what my salary was at a previous job My current employer never asked, they said "this job pays X per year" did get a small increase over that first offer but not alot. At this point in my career though (17 years in) I focus less on raw salary and more on working environment, I would rather take a lower salary to have a care free easy environment than make 15% more but have a high stress high demanding employer. Been there done that... not for me.
- whostolemyhat 9y ago
  > I am mainly speaking out against the pay gap myth I'm sure you're very smart and know better than all[1] the current[2] research[3]. [1] https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/research-report-109-gender-pay-gap https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/... [2] https://www.accenture.com/gb-en/gender-equality-research-2017 https://www.accenture.com/gb-en/gender-equality-research-201... [3] https://www.strath.ac.uk/business/research/research/highlights/genderpaygapresearch/ https://www.strath.ac.uk/business/research/research/highligh...
  - Sacho 9y ago
    [1] - this is a good report, but it uses a different definition of "gender pay gap" than parent - it does not analyze a "pay gap" for the same position/same experience(i.e. gender discrimination), but rather the aggregated difference in payments men and women receive for their work, which are affected by a multitude of factors(referenced in the study) - men working more, full-time, longer careers, different types of jobs, etc.. [2] - there are no sources or data analysis in their report, it's just infographics. Even then, their definition of the gender pay gap is similar to [1]: "The report flags a clear risk, however: the choices that young women undergrads are making now are setting them up to enter the workforce with fewer digital skills, less mentoring advice and lower interest in pursuing high-paying jobs, compared with their male peers. " "Adding to this imbalance is the fact that women are much less likely than men to have paid work (50 percent and 76 percent, respectively). This contributes to a hidden pay gap that increases the economic inequities between women and men. Based on the hidden pay gap, our research shows that for every $100 a woman earns, a man earns $258. Since women are usually responsible for the bulk of unpaid work, such as child care and housekeeping, the effects of the hidden pay gap for them are immense." [3] - link to report is dead
  - syshum 9y ago
    At a minimum it does appear I have a better ability to read and understand what I am reading because none of those sources refute what i stated. Number 1 is not comparing Equal Work and experiance, infact one of their summary bullet points is how part time women earn less than Full Time men... ummm yea. Part time people earn less than Full Time people.. That is not a earth shattering fact nor it is a symptom of sexism They also point out that Part time women earn MORE than part time men... Further most of the study looks at Overall wages in general with out comparing actual job roles to job role. This is a general misdirection often used by people that want to invent sexism where there is none. The fact that women often choose careers in fields that are traditionally lowering paying like Social Work, or Teaching is not a symptom of sexism Number 2 is not a study Number 3 is 404 page not found
Sohcahtoa82 9y ago
> Once you tell them how much you currently make, you've screwed yourself. This is the truth. When I finished my CS degree and started looking for work, I had a recruiter tell me I shouldn't expect any pay over my previous job, and since my previous job was a software testing internship for $12.75/hr, I shouldn't expect more than $15/hr or so. I said "Yeah, no. I'm not taking a software engineering job for barely over $30k/year." He insisted that's how the industry works, even though my previous job was just an internship and wasn't even an engineering position. I basically told him to pound sand, especially after he told me that at that position, I'd be expected to work 45-50 hours/week. Sure, I needed work, but I wasn't destitute.
- kamaal 9y ago
  In India, your resume qualifies for interview only if you disclose your previous salary. I don't think its mandated by law, but thats's how the system works anyway.
  - _4570 9y ago
    I've been through 2 employers and working at my third. I've never disclosed my salary pre-interview. All three jobs at Bangalore, India. So no, that's not how the system works.
    - kamaal 9y ago
      That is absolutely how it works. Unless you disclose your prior CTC no one will call you for your interview. Start ups are a different case.
- jldugger 9y ago
  The best response to 'here's a penny more than you were making' is multiple offers. The second best response is 'your offer is better, but inspires zero loyalty. If you want me to stay for longer than it takes for your competitors to get back to me with an offer, you'll improve that offer.'

syshum 9y ago

I dont disagree with much of what you said, I am mainly speaking out against the pay gap myth. As far as disclosing pay, I alway deflect it and treat the question as them asking me what my salary expectations are, which likely ends up doing the same thing, but I dont think I have ever told a company what my salary was at a previous job My current employer never asked, they said "this job pays X per year" did get a small increase over that first offer but not alot. At this point in my career though (17 years in) I focus less on raw salary and more on working environment, I would rather take a lower salary to have a care free easy environment than make 15% more but have a high stress high demanding employer. Been there done that... not for me.

whostolemyhat 9y ago
> I am mainly speaking out against the pay gap myth I'm sure you're very smart and know better than all[1] the current[2] research[3]. [1] https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/research-report-109-gender-pay-gap https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/... [2] https://www.accenture.com/gb-en/gender-equality-research-2017 https://www.accenture.com/gb-en/gender-equality-research-201... [3] https://www.strath.ac.uk/business/research/research/highlights/genderpaygapresearch/ https://www.strath.ac.uk/business/research/research/highligh...
- Sacho 9y ago
  [1] - this is a good report, but it uses a different definition of "gender pay gap" than parent - it does not analyze a "pay gap" for the same position/same experience(i.e. gender discrimination), but rather the aggregated difference in payments men and women receive for their work, which are affected by a multitude of factors(referenced in the study) - men working more, full-time, longer careers, different types of jobs, etc.. [2] - there are no sources or data analysis in their report, it's just infographics. Even then, their definition of the gender pay gap is similar to [1]: "The report flags a clear risk, however: the choices that young women undergrads are making now are setting them up to enter the workforce with fewer digital skills, less mentoring advice and lower interest in pursuing high-paying jobs, compared with their male peers. " "Adding to this imbalance is the fact that women are much less likely than men to have paid work (50 percent and 76 percent, respectively). This contributes to a hidden pay gap that increases the economic inequities between women and men. Based on the hidden pay gap, our research shows that for every $100 a woman earns, a man earns $258. Since women are usually responsible for the bulk of unpaid work, such as child care and housekeeping, the effects of the hidden pay gap for them are immense." [3] - link to report is dead
- syshum 9y ago
  At a minimum it does appear I have a better ability to read and understand what I am reading because none of those sources refute what i stated. Number 1 is not comparing Equal Work and experiance, infact one of their summary bullet points is how part time women earn less than Full Time men... ummm yea. Part time people earn less than Full Time people.. That is not a earth shattering fact nor it is a symptom of sexism They also point out that Part time women earn MORE than part time men... Further most of the study looks at Overall wages in general with out comparing actual job roles to job role. This is a general misdirection often used by people that want to invent sexism where there is none. The fact that women often choose careers in fields that are traditionally lowering paying like Social Work, or Teaching is not a symptom of sexism Number 2 is not a study Number 3 is 404 page not found

Sohcahtoa82 9y ago

> Once you tell them how much you currently make, you've screwed yourself. This is the truth. When I finished my CS degree and started looking for work, I had a recruiter tell me I shouldn't expect any pay over my previous job, and since my previous job was a software testing internship for $12.75/hr, I shouldn't expect more than $15/hr or so. I said "Yeah, no. I'm not taking a software engineering job for barely over $30k/year." He insisted that's how the industry works, even though my previous job was just an internship and wasn't even an engineering position. I basically told him to pound sand, especially after he told me that at that position, I'd be expected to work 45-50 hours/week. Sure, I needed work, but I wasn't destitute.

kamaal 9y ago
In India, your resume qualifies for interview only if you disclose your previous salary. I don't think its mandated by law, but thats's how the system works anyway.
- _4570 9y ago
  I've been through 2 employers and working at my third. I've never disclosed my salary pre-interview. All three jobs at Bangalore, India. So no, that's not how the system works.
  - kamaal 9y ago
    That is absolutely how it works. Unless you disclose your prior CTC no one will call you for your interview. Start ups are a different case.
jldugger 9y ago
The best response to 'here's a penny more than you were making' is multiple offers. The second best response is 'your offer is better, but inspires zero loyalty. If you want me to stay for longer than it takes for your competitors to get back to me with an offer, you'll improve that offer.'