8 ms·

Crap, i didn't know you could choose _not_ to divulge salary history! I'm horrible at salary negotiations, any links/advice for getting a better salary deal?

copper 15y ago
patio11 is indeed the right person to ask that particular question :) If it helps any, here's my absolute favourite justification that HR gave when I asked why they needed my salary history: it was, apparently, needed to figure out where I would fit in the org chart (you'd think that that was what interviews are supposed to determine, but apparently not.)
- Woost 15y ago
  Reminds me of my current job. They asked for a potential hire's salary history to determine how much to offer them. They previously made, say, 40k, so an offer was made for 45k. Why? Not because their skills were worth 45k, but because they previously made 40k. They were willing to go up to, say, 65k for the position. Also, the people in charge thought they should probably offer more, but didn't want to...because of the previous salary. Dysfunctional, but it happens.
  - rmc 15y ago
    I presume that's the real reason most places ask for salary history
patio11 15y ago
I should probably make that a blog post, as it would get overly long here. Here, one wee little hack for you: next time you get asked for salary history, just repeat verbatim "As a matter of professional courtesy, I'm going to respectfully decline to answer any questions about specific policies of my previous employers. Someday, someone is going to ask me about yours. When that happens, you can trust me to keep your confidences."
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- silverbax88 15y ago
  We've had people say that. Just letting you know, we don't hire people who say things like that. You can decline to say, that's fine, but don't feed us a line of bullshit.
  - edw519 15y ago
    we don't hire people who say things like that I don't work for people who don't hire people who say things like that. but don't feed us a line of bullshit And I certainly don't work for people who refer to a candidate's concern for confidentiality as a "line of bullshit". There are plenty of prospective employers who actually respect their candidates. Let's just stick with them and save everyone a whole bunch of time and trouble.
    - vacri 15y ago
      patio11's line is pure wank, and will be recognised as such by anyone worth working for. It's not the denial of the request that's the problem, it's the overly dramatic reason - similar to "what's my greatest flaw? well, I can't stop myself from working long hours for my employer!". Bravura below has better alternatives.
    - silverbax88 15y ago
      No, you don't work for people like us. We expect that respect is a two way street.
      - dpritchett 15y ago
        How is aggressively undermining your potential employee's bargaining power a show of respect? The job offer is the single highest point of any worker's negotiating leverage and you seem to feel entitled to control the situation.
      - deleted 15y ago
desigooner 15y ago
HR's job is to hire someone at the very least amount possible. They have a range to go by with and at quite a few companies, the difference between upper salary limit of the position that was budgeted and the salary that the hire was made either goes into a pool that is split between the HR recruiters at the end of the year or they get a certain %age of the amount as bonus. Always do your research on similar positions at the same company or different companies through a site like glassdoor.com before even negotiating. You should not be going in blind. Also do research on how much people are making at a role that is similar to yours in terms of work / title / experience. Remember that if there are 2 same positions at a company or even in a department or a team, difference between their salaries could be big. If you're asked to divulge salary history, don't tip your hand. I've made this mistake a couple of times and I have regretted it / having had to settle for a lower salary. If insist on you giving them a number, quote a number that's 10-15% higher than your annual salary (Have to be careful of the company not finding out your current salary through some other means). Always tell them about the value you bring to their organization and your experience and that you deserve this much $ amount because of how much the future company will benefit from your skills. Talk about positive recommendations & performance reviews, performance bonuses, awards & accolades you've earned at your current/ past jobs or at school. Do not bring in a comparative number (this company is offering me this much) unless you really need to as it sort of casts a negative impression about you being all about money. Potray how highly you're interested in the position but you feel that the offer is on a conservative side as far as the market rate goes. If they cannot offer a higher $$$ figure, and you really like the profile, you can negotiate better benefits like full health coverage vs. partial, higher # of vacation days (some companies allow you to cash out some vacation days at the end of the year), commuter benefits, etc. Just be confident and do not hesitate to ask for more (as long as it's realistic and comparable to the going rate). Also, rehearse the negotiation with a friend or just simulate the conversation in your mind before you actually do the talking with the hiring manager. Disclaimer; Some of this might not be right. Please feel free to correct any erroneous statements I've made. :)
- blankenship 15y ago
  HR's job is to hire someone at the very least amount possible. Is it? HR strategy should maximize ROI and minimize financial risk regarding your team, but that doesn't necessary mean hiring someone for the least amount possible. Getting the best ROI and minimizing risk sometimes means recruiting the best possible employees and paying them exceptionally well to retain their services and keep them around.
jaryd 15y ago
http://salarytutor.com/ http://salarytutor.com/
gyardley 15y ago
There have been tons of books written on negotiating, most of which contain more useful content than any advice thread or blog post. Given the huge difference negotiating makes, these books pay for themselves hundreds of times over. I'm a big fan of anything written by Roger Dawson. Yes, it's written in sales-y self-help style, which you'll probably subconsciously resist, but the content is gold. Here's a link to his 'Secrets of Power Salary Negotiating': http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-power-salary-negotiating-roger-dawson/1102957413 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-power-salary-nego...
wccrawford 15y ago
At my current job, I divulged my salary during the interview, and I'm positive I make less money because of it. However, what I'm getting paid is still quite good and way higher than I was making... Partly because I asked for more during the negotiation. So I'm not upset about it. For my next job, however, I won't be telling my previous salary, and I'll be using that 'I don't divulge company policies' line. I've never found it a good idea to tell people that stuff anyhow, friend or co-worker.
mixmastamyk 15y ago
An oldie but goodie: http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/hasalary.htm http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/hasalary.htm There was a better one, which I can't find now.

copper 15y ago

patio11 is indeed the right person to ask that particular question :) If it helps any, here's my absolute favourite justification that HR gave when I asked why they needed my salary history: it was, apparently, needed to figure out where I would fit in the org chart (you'd think that that was what interviews are supposed to determine, but apparently not.)

Woost 15y ago
Reminds me of my current job. They asked for a potential hire's salary history to determine how much to offer them. They previously made, say, 40k, so an offer was made for 45k. Why? Not because their skills were worth 45k, but because they previously made 40k. They were willing to go up to, say, 65k for the position. Also, the people in charge thought they should probably offer more, but didn't want to...because of the previous salary. Dysfunctional, but it happens.
- rmc 15y ago
  I presume that's the real reason most places ask for salary history

patio11 15y ago

I should probably make that a blog post, as it would get overly long here. Here, one wee little hack for you: next time you get asked for salary history, just repeat verbatim "As a matter of professional courtesy, I'm going to respectfully decline to answer any questions about specific policies of my previous employers. Someday, someone is going to ask me about yours. When that happens, you can trust me to keep your confidences."

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
silverbax88 15y ago
We've had people say that. Just letting you know, we don't hire people who say things like that. You can decline to say, that's fine, but don't feed us a line of bullshit.
- edw519 15y ago
  we don't hire people who say things like that I don't work for people who don't hire people who say things like that. but don't feed us a line of bullshit And I certainly don't work for people who refer to a candidate's concern for confidentiality as a "line of bullshit". There are plenty of prospective employers who actually respect their candidates. Let's just stick with them and save everyone a whole bunch of time and trouble.
  - vacri 15y ago
    patio11's line is pure wank, and will be recognised as such by anyone worth working for. It's not the denial of the request that's the problem, it's the overly dramatic reason - similar to "what's my greatest flaw? well, I can't stop myself from working long hours for my employer!". Bravura below has better alternatives.
  - silverbax88 15y ago
    No, you don't work for people like us. We expect that respect is a two way street.
    - dpritchett 15y ago
      How is aggressively undermining your potential employee's bargaining power a show of respect? The job offer is the single highest point of any worker's negotiating leverage and you seem to feel entitled to control the situation.
    - deleted 15y ago

desigooner 15y ago

HR's job is to hire someone at the very least amount possible. They have a range to go by with and at quite a few companies, the difference between upper salary limit of the position that was budgeted and the salary that the hire was made either goes into a pool that is split between the HR recruiters at the end of the year or they get a certain %age of the amount as bonus. Always do your research on similar positions at the same company or different companies through a site like glassdoor.com before even negotiating. You should not be going in blind. Also do research on how much people are making at a role that is similar to yours in terms of work / title / experience. Remember that if there are 2 same positions at a company or even in a department or a team, difference between their salaries could be big. If you're asked to divulge salary history, don't tip your hand. I've made this mistake a couple of times and I have regretted it / having had to settle for a lower salary. If insist on you giving them a number, quote a number that's 10-15% higher than your annual salary (Have to be careful of the company not finding out your current salary through some other means). Always tell them about the value you bring to their organization and your experience and that you deserve this much $ amount because of how much the future company will benefit from your skills. Talk about positive recommendations & performance reviews, performance bonuses, awards & accolades you've earned at your current/ past jobs or at school. Do not bring in a comparative number (this company is offering me this much) unless you really need to as it sort of casts a negative impression about you being all about money. Potray how highly you're interested in the position but you feel that the offer is on a conservative side as far as the market rate goes. If they cannot offer a higher $$$ figure, and you really like the profile, you can negotiate better benefits like full health coverage vs. partial, higher # of vacation days (some companies allow you to cash out some vacation days at the end of the year), commuter benefits, etc. Just be confident and do not hesitate to ask for more (as long as it's realistic and comparable to the going rate). Also, rehearse the negotiation with a friend or just simulate the conversation in your mind before you actually do the talking with the hiring manager. Disclaimer; Some of this might not be right. Please feel free to correct any erroneous statements I've made. :)

blankenship 15y ago
HR's job is to hire someone at the very least amount possible. Is it? HR strategy should maximize ROI and minimize financial risk regarding your team, but that doesn't necessary mean hiring someone for the least amount possible. Getting the best ROI and minimizing risk sometimes means recruiting the best possible employees and paying them exceptionally well to retain their services and keep them around.

jaryd 15y ago

http://salarytutor.com/ http://salarytutor.com/

gyardley 15y ago

There have been tons of books written on negotiating, most of which contain more useful content than any advice thread or blog post. Given the huge difference negotiating makes, these books pay for themselves hundreds of times over. I'm a big fan of anything written by Roger Dawson. Yes, it's written in sales-y self-help style, which you'll probably subconsciously resist, but the content is gold. Here's a link to his 'Secrets of Power Salary Negotiating': http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-power-salary-negotiating-roger-dawson/1102957413 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-power-salary-nego...

wccrawford 15y ago

At my current job, I divulged my salary during the interview, and I'm positive I make less money because of it. However, what I'm getting paid is still quite good and way higher than I was making... Partly because I asked for more during the negotiation. So I'm not upset about it. For my next job, however, I won't be telling my previous salary, and I'll be using that 'I don't divulge company policies' line. I've never found it a good idea to tell people that stuff anyhow, friend or co-worker.

mixmastamyk 15y ago

An oldie but goodie: http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/hasalary.htm http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/hasalary.htm There was a better one, which I can't find now.