disclosure of current salaryShould you include your current salary on an application or leave it blank? I think you absolutely should list your current salary on an application that requests it. With increasing frequency, employers are using that information as a screening tool. For instance, lets suppose you' re earning $60K per year and the job for which you' re applying has a budgeted range of $40K to $50K, there' s probably no reason to pursue an interview with you which will only waste your time and theirs - you aren' t likely to be willing to take a job for $10K less and they' re not likely to up their budgeted range by $10K. However, if you can submit a cover letter along with the application, I think that' s an ideal way to state not only what you' re salary is, but also what your anticipated salary range is. You can write something like, "My present salary is $X, but my anticipated salary is negotiable within the $Y to $Z range." That streamlines the process for both parties. Make sense? Disclosure of your current salary will result in a long term income loss if you are or were in an underpaid position. Disclosure of your desired salary can eliminate time wasted on interviews, etc. if the job salary range is not withing the desired salary range. In 1999 I made a career change into the IT field, which resulted in a salary cut of about 15% (moved from a supervisory position outside of IT to a programmer position in IT at $50k). My management / supervisory skills were recognized and I was approached by my CIO when a management position opened - I was given a 20% pay raise (which was the maximum percentage they could give based on HR policies) - this moved me to 60k (the manager I replaced was earning 85k). After the next pay evaluation I moved up to $65k - then the company starting having bad financial performance, so there were no raises the next year. During this time I completed an MBA and over 1000 hours of specialized IT training. The company announced that they were going to close the plant, so I started looking for a new job. I found one in a different state where the cost of living was about 20% higher and was originally offerd $70k - I negotiated and was able to get $75k (the previous manager who had less expereince and less education was making $95k) - so while I got a reasonable increase, I was $20k less than the previous manager. Needless to say, I was not happy when I discovered this (he left his paperwork from his last pay raise in the desk). The first pay raise I received was good, the second was ok (got to $85k) - took on managing IT for 2 large manufacturing plants and had a budget over $10mil. Then the financial performance of the company faultered and there were no pay raises or bonuses. So I ended up at $85k for an extended period of time. I also completed a MS in information systems during this time. I took another senior level position in IT, but it was a govt. position and they would only increase the salary by a small percentage above what you were currently making - so I moved into the low 90's (even though the salary range was 91-120k). I quit there after a short period of time because I had direct reports who had higher salaries. Now I am in a CIO position and I am about $20k below average because I disclosed my current or previous salary. My next move will NOT disclose any salary - only salary requirements. So, if your salary is below the average, I say do not disclose it - but if your salary is above average then disclose it, because you will always get more. Also, if you find out you got low balled - get out quickly. My last position offered me a significant increase in pay because I put in my notice of resignation - but the fact was that they low balled me and paid me less than several of my direct reports. If money is all that will determine whether or not you would accept a potential job offer, then you should disclose your salary. Otherwise, if there are other factors at play, you should not disclose until you have heard their entire proposal during the interview process. You may be more interested in the position than you originally anticipated. That being said, they may also be more interested in you at the conclusion of the interview process. Just weigh your options heading in and then put your best foot forward. Hope this help, Good Luck! Low salary or not, if they' re asking for it, they want to know. With very few exceptions, if you don' t provide it when they ask, they' ll move on to someone who will. While we can appreciate shellnet's story, it is a little twisted due to market conditions. He is in an industry (IT) that saw massive layoffs in 2002 - 2003 which depressed salaries. Had shellnet been a nurse in New England, I would guess that his raises would have been much more substantial because of the nurse shortage. If someone asks your salary requirement, you should know the market conditions and your own personal needs and, hopefully, the market pay satisfies your needs. You state your history and your requirement at the same time. | |
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Career Tips
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