How do you handle the dreaded salary requirements question when interviewing?

[Eason]

It's pronounced "Dumas". :|

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by Eason

It's pronounced "Dumas". :|

 

[Hannerhan]

Originally Posted by JMRouse

No I would not give that info out. All you are doing is giving them information that they can use to pay you as little as possible. It's part of the recruiters/HR rep's job to try and do so.

I have worked at smaller firms, and when sitting face-to-face with the guy who runs the whole company, and he asks me what I've been making at my current job, I guess I just prefer to be honest. If I was in his shoes and someone wanted to play games when I asked that question, I'd wonder about them. If there is a reason that you think you're underpaid, then by all means give the reason. But not wanting to give out the information at all just seems sneaky.

But it sounds like some of you are talking about dealing with HR departments at bigger companies, so it makes sense that you don't want some low level HR manager screwing you.

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Eason

It's pronounced "Dumas". :|

well at least that guy in Monte Cristo could Count

 

[Jr Mouse]

Originally Posted by Hannerhan

I have worked at smaller firms, and when sitting face-to-face with the guy who runs the whole company, and he asks me what I've been making at my current job, I guess I just prefer to be honest. If I was in his shoes and someone wanted to play games when I asked that question, I'd wonder about them. If there is a reason that you think you're underpaid, then by all means give the reason. But not wanting to give out the information at all just seems sneaky.

But it sounds like some of you are talking about dealing with HR departments at bigger companies, so it makes sense that you don't want some low level HR manager screwing you.

Again, I fail to understand were you are coming from. It's not being sneaky and it has nothing to do with playing games or feeling that I was underpaid. It's being a smart negotiator. You have yet to explain why my salary at a previous company should have any impact on what another company pays me other then it could give them a chance to pay me less then they might have otherwise. Why as a job hunter would I want to help them do that? You don't have to give them this information.

 

[Johdus Fanfoozal]

I think most HR types who are inundated with dozens, maybe hundreds of applications, for one position use it to quickly weed out people they can't afford. They don't want to invest the time in recruiting a potential employee only to find out you expect to make 30 percent more than the top of their pay range.

 

[Hannerhan]

Originally Posted by JMRouse

Again, I fail to understand were you are coming from. It's not being sneaky and it has nothing to do with playing games or feeling that I was underpaid. It's being a smart negotiator. You have yet to explain why my salary at a previous company should have any impact on what another company pays me other then it could give them a chance to pay me less then they might have otherwise. Why as a job hunter would I want to help them do that? You don't have to give them this information.

If you feel like you have been paid well in the past, why wouldn't you use that to your advantage when negotiating the next job? From the potential employee's perspective, I think one's willingness to divulge the information would be at least partially based on whether they were on the low end or the high end in their last/current job. If you're the employer, I stick with my previous assertion that prior compensation is always relevant...because if someone made much less previously, you want to know because it opens up the possibility that you're missing something. If they made much more, why do you want to waste your time with them if you can't make them happy? Better to find out early on and shake hands and call it a day.

 

[Jr Mouse]

Originally Posted by Hannerhan

If you feel like you have been paid well in the past, why wouldn't you use that to your advantage when negotiating the next job? From the potential employee's perspective, I think one's willingness to divulge the information would be at least partially based on whether they were on the low end or the high end in their last/current job. If you're the employer, I stick with my previous assertion that prior compensation is always relevant...because if someone made much less previously, you want to know because it opens up the possibility that you're missing something. If they made much more, why do you want to waste your time with them if you can't make them happy? Better to find out early on and shake hands and call it a day.

The employeer should have a budget of what they can pay someone. The decision to hire and the pay rate to be given to this person should be based on their skills and what they bring to the table, not what their previous salary was.

Anyways, we are going in circles here. If you feel it's a good idea to give out your previous salary to potential employers keep doing so. Personally, I would rather use every advantage possible to get as high of a starting salary as I can.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Hannerhan

I have worked at smaller firms, and when sitting face-to-face with the guy who runs the whole company, and he asks me what I've been making at my current job, I guess I just prefer to be honest. If I was in his shoes and someone wanted to play games when I asked that question, I'd wonder about them. If there is a reason that you think you're underpaid, then by all means give the reason. But not wanting to give out the information at all just seems sneaky.

But it sounds like some of you are talking about dealing with HR departments at bigger companies, so it makes sense that you don't want some low level HR manager screwing you.

If the position you are being interviewed for includes negotiations of any kind, and I was the guy who runs the whole company (well, actually I am..but I digress...), I would not consider this person for the job. In fact, I'd ***** out my HR VP or whatever senior manager put this person in front of me.

Why? Can't negotiate worth ****. If you can't make at least a pass or two at me in an attempt to negotiate from a position of strength...loser or still needs seasoning.

Btw, well run companies have budgets, have HR policies of specific pay grades and tiers. It's not like even I could hire a line employee and pay them double what the next highest line employee is making.

 

[Hannerhan]

Fair enough. I have just worked in smaller financial firms (first with ~75 people and soon with ~15 people) where there are no "line" employees, and everyone is looked at individually in terms of their potential to add value. So there isn't necessarily a budget. There might be an expected range, but in the end it's about finding the right person for your firm and your culture, and then amending the job description slightly as needed to suit their strengths.

And maybe the guy who runs this company is just more ruthless than most, but our policy was to always get past compensation details, and if someone wasn't willing to provide that info, the process is over for them. Out of maybe 100 people that I asked for that info on over the past 4 years, I can think of 2 or 3 who chose not to provide it. And it's not like I really had people complain or push back, so I thought this was a relatively normal thing.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Hannerhan

Fair enough. I have just worked in smaller financial firms (first with ~75 people and soon with ~15 people) where there are no "line" employees, and everyone is looked at individually in terms of their potential to add value. So there isn't necessarily a budget. There might be an expected range, but in the end it's about finding the right person for your firm and your culture, and then amending the job description slightly as needed to suit their strengths.

And maybe the guy who runs this company is just more ruthless than most, but our policy was to always get past compensation details, and if someone wasn't willing to provide that info, the process is over for them. Out of maybe 100 people that I asked for that info on over the past 4 years, I can think of 2 or 3 who chose not to provide it. And it's not like I really had people complain or push back, so I thought this was a relatively normal thing.

It is not about giving the information it is about how/when the information is given. This is why I said this person is either a loser or needs more seasoning. Any good negotiator would know this.

If you tell me you are looking at bringing this person in at 100k, 100k now becomes the starting point of the negotiation even if you were previously making 75k. Now it would be easy for me (if I was the job seeker) to say, "My last position paid me 75k so I do not think we have a problem with 100k." Salary question settled as the employer cannot now back off this number. If the job seeker offers 75k as last salary the employer can toss out 85k. Happy employee with a 10k raise, happy employer with a 15k savings v. budget...but the job seeker just tossed 15k down the toilet because he couldn't get the employer to show his cards first.

Bad negotiator.

 

[Jr Mouse]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

It is not about giving the information it is about how/when the information is given. This is why I said this person is either a loser or needs more seasoning. Any good negotiator would know this.

If you tell me you are looking at bringing this person in at 100k, 100k now becomes the starting point of the negotiation even if you were previously making 75k. Now it would be easy for me (if I was the job seeker) to say, "My last position paid me 75k so I do not think we have a problem with 100k." Salary question settled as the employer cannot now back off this number. If the job seeker offers 75k as last salary the employer can toss out 85k. Happy employee with a 10k raise, happy employer with a 15k savings v. budget...but the job seeker just tossed 15k down the toilet because he couldn't get the employer to show his cards first.

Bad negotiator.

Exactly. Get the potential employeer to give out the numbers first.

I'm not even sure how a company could find out what your past salary was if you don't tell them, anyways. From what I have been told, most companies have a policy to just give out info on what your positon was and dates you were employed. For fear of possible legal action they won't say why you left (i.e. fired or not) and certainly won't give out what they paid you. Unless the company you are applying for asks for a pay stub, you could fib on it and they would never know.

 

[Master-Classter]

simply put, I'm being paid for the job I'll get, not the job I already had.

 

[cross22]

I am very surprised at the passivity in some of the answers here. I usually discuss my salary requirements on the first call with the recruiter. No need to waste my time or the executives' time if they can't pay me what I want.

 

[Jr Mouse]

Originally Posted by cross22

I am very surprised at the passivity in some of the answers here. I usually discuss my salary requirements on the first call with the recruiter. No need to waste my time or the executives' time if they can't pay me what I want.

The issue with that strategy is they may have been planning to pay you more then what you wanted. If you say "I need to make between 60 and 65K" and they had in the budget to pay 75K do you think they won't happily just give you the 65K and save the extra 10K a year? Nothing wrong with salary coming up early on, but you always want them to give numbers first.