Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

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  1

  Nick Corcodilos

  03/10/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  While the chairman of the board pounds his fist on the podium and tells the shareholders, "In today's super-competitive economy, our company values out-of-the-box thinking!", the HR department is chucking good candidates out the door because they won't toe the bureaucratic line. So much for hiring the "outliers" who take us into the future.
  
  The main reason HR offers for why candidates MUST disclose their salary history is a threat: If you don't give it to us, we will not consider you for a job.
  
  This same bureaucratic "Because I said so" attitude permeates the HR profession. Can HR really afford to dismiss the most potent candidates who apply? Isn't HR supposed to find people who "think out of the box?" Does the board of directors have any idea what is going on here?
  
  The problem is simple: Employer have lost the ability to judge candidates on their value. Instead, HR relies on the questionable value the former employer has placed on the candidate. Where is the competitive edge in accepting your competitor's possibly flawed judgment? Do you really want to hire someone else's leavings without calculating value independently?
  
  I'm still looking for good reasons why HR demands salary history. Hit me: http://corcodilos.com/blog/405/why-you-should-tell-me-your-salary
  
  Nick Corcodilos
  www.asktheheadhunter.com
  

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  2

  CC Holland

  03/10/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  Thanks for weighing in, Nick! I'm firmly in your corner on this one. I've hired people who've made peanuts at past jobs and ended up being worth every penny I've paid -- even at double their old salaries. And I've worked with people of dubious worth at inflated pay. Calculating value independently (and per-situation, as opposed to a blanket policy) makes sense to me.

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  3

  jethompson1

  03/10/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  I am also with you both on this one... I have had the same experience have hired people through instinct of who that person is and what I feel they can achieve by thinking outside of the box and never be proved wrong all have excelled in their own right... Where-as I have also employed the numbers for just that reason they built a good wage over the years with previous employers yet they have been far outstretched by the so called lower earners who can achieve for themselves and not because of who they know within a company...
  As for the original question... I am a firm believer of open and honest especially at the interview stage and would expect a good future employee to actually ask about the salary as this not only shows they are willing but as it is a taboo subject they are also showing guts and determination.

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  4

  nyexpat

  03/10/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  Seriously. Why does it matter what someone is making now or in the past? If your resume has the required skills and experience, then you should be suitable for the job at the initial screening.
  i.e. what if someone negotiated poorly for their current position, or has been at a company for more than 5 years? We ALL know that being somewhere for a while lowers your ?market? value as new hires come in making more. So, if pressured, one might give their current market value as their current salary, even if it?s not at the current market value. Everyone wants to get paid what they?re worth and companies want to pay as little as possible. That?s why it pays to know the going rate for jobs one way or the other. If you actually get the interview, this money discussion should be further into the process. Don?t waste peoples? precious time.

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  5

  jlvelez

  03/10/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  I am glad to see this topic brought up. It has always something I felt strongly about and held my ground. Working in the energy industry, where talent is drying up, I got numerous calls from headhunters. I would always give them a minute to introduce themselves and then I would politely hit them with,
  
  "before we go any further I do need to mention two items that are not negotiable - I do not provide salary information and I will not provide references until a formal offer has been made. If this is going to be a problem then we should not go any further."
  
  I can truly say that while I did have some that just balked at this, most grudgingly accepted it.
  
  Salary has absolutely no relevance in one's ability to perform a job. Some headhunters (Robert Half namely) love to use the "my client won't offer an x% raise"! Raise? What raise??? It is this type of flawed thinking about the labor market that creates turnover.
  
  Companies and headhunters need to realize that labor is increasingly becoming a commodity. Do not expect anyone with a smidgen of talent to cut themselves short just to be nice. The only loyalty in the labor market is price just like in every other market. You will get what you pay for.

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  6

  deatul

  03/11/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  They shouldn't tell salary expected but previous pay details might help.
  In case of my friend who is now working wi Mckensy got higher package than his job profile coz he was offered 1 level lower job profile than his previous company due to work ex requirement for the job in Mckensy policies.
  He couldn't have got the benifit if he had not disclosed his current salary.

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  7

  HWentz

  03/11/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  Different companies have different attitudes about employees. Some think of them as filling the hole and have no worth beyond this role, while others understand that the individual can make a difference.
  
  I interviewed for a job and made the mistake of disclosing my prior salary. The calculator came out and 6% was added and that was the offer, no room for negotiation. I, of course, refused the offer.
  
  Had this potential employer taken into account industry salary, adjusted for local costs and looked at the value that was being brought to the table that would have been a much better offer.
  
  Too many potential employers try to get employees on the cheap, but that is another story for another day.

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  MarcyAnn

  03/11/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  Any HR person should know that salary alone is not the only consideration for the potential new hire. I am on the job market (wish me luck!) and honestly some things are as important as just salary-- the total benefits package, the opportunity for me to gain new skills, the opportunities for advancement, the strength and stability of the company, the culture of the company. Also, cost of living is huge factor. I will need a much higher salary to live in an east coast city than a smaller mid-west city.

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  Susan Mannhaupt

  03/11/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  No one has mentioned searching for jobs online, where the system will not let you submit your application page unless you enter your salary in the "required" field. This sort of shoots down the ability of withholding your salary information. How do the professional headhunters recommend getting around this hurdle?

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  CC Holland

  03/11/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  @ Susan: Good question. I'm wondering if the answer is to put in an obviously low number (e.g., $1.00). Of course, that may cause the resume reviewers to put you out of the running. Anyone out there know a way to get around this issue?

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  11

  LifeisBella

  03/11/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  As Susan points out employers ask for salary info in a number of subtle and not so subtle ways. Just look at any employment application.
  
  In an article published on 2/5/09 I noted that..."Human Resources professionals will justify the practice of requiring salary histories by mentioning benchmarking, wanting to see a history of progression, the need to stay within defined salary ranges and/or as an effort to save time. Some will go so far as to admit that it is how they know how to structure an offer of employment." To my way of thinking, none of those reasons stand up to scrutiny.
  (If you're interested here's a link to the complete article http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Do-Companies-Insist-on-Having-a-Potential-New-Hires-Salary-History?&id=1928417.)
  
  There is no one correct answer about whether one should or shouldn't tell. There are times when revealing the information can work for you and times when it works against you.
  
  Here are some thought provoking comments made from both sides of the desk when the subject was opened for debate at Job-Seekers-Edge.com. http://www.job-seekers-edge.com/salary-histories.html
  
  Shirley Ray
  www.job-seekers-edge.com
  

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  12

  ftaylor02

  03/12/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  Philosophically, I am in the "never tell" corner. I speak from personal experience where I have provided salary requirements only to find out once on the job that I actually low balled myself. Realistically, deciding to or not to disclose is a trapeze act. In a perfect world you can not disclose salary requirement and have a safe landing (you get an offer anyway). In an imperfect world by not disclosing salary you fall from the trapeze without a safety net (no offer). In these days of non-stop layoffs and economic recession one should consider him/herself very fortunate to have reached the level of the recruitment process in which this question may be asked. An applicant would be wise to know the average salary range for the job interviewing for and hedge on the high side. The factors surrounding this whole issue of whether to disclose salary requirement is very dynamic. It is my opinion that most job applicants don't have the savvy to know when it would be best not to disclose. Thus, a practical approach is to know the average salary range and be prepared to start there if asked this question.

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  13

  kmaxb@...

  03/12/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  I would suggest that the applicant should never submit a number first. I agree that there can be risk in this proposition but the applicant has to develop skills to get around this pitfall.
  First, the applicant should be talking to decision makers, and not human resources, as much as possible. Understand how powerful it is when the President of the company hands the human resources representative a resume and says hire this person. Who has the most to lose in that situation? Talking to the decision maker happens through active, as opposed to passive, self marketing.
  Second, when the subject of money comes up, always delay the discussion as long as possible. It is up to the applicant to get the decision maker, or the human resource representative past the phase that they are trying to make a decision of whether you are in or not and to the point in the decision making process where they are saying "I want this person, and I am going to make it happen no matter what." and that phase generally comes after the initial knock out question of "how much do you make/want to make."
  This is all well and good but how to get there is the skill.
  I would suggest that every time that the question of "how much money do you make/want to make?" comes up respond with statements like, "I agree money is important but I have always found that if I am a good fit for the job it works itselt out." Or say, "From my research you have a good company that compensates there employees fairly, so I expect we will be able to come up with something that is fair." Another response that I have used is, "I am very good at what I do and I am compensated very well."
  Be ready to follow the above statements with a deflecting question such as, "do we agree that I am qualified for the job?" Or, a bolder response might be, "I am happy to negotiate salaries when we both have agreed that I am a good fit for the job, are you offering me the job?"
  I know that these may seem aggressive so please adjust to each of your individual styles. But, understand from my perspective you can only lose if you bring up the number first.

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  14

  erm0809

  03/12/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  Its a fluid scenario. No perfect formulas. But guidelines there are.
  Before any interview:
  Determine these 2 things first 1) what is that minimum salary you are willing to take 2) can you afford to walk away if that is not met.
  Whatever your answer, knowing them helps you assume a solid (not higher0 negotiation ground now.
  During the interview and the query/offer of the salary:
  If they asked for your salary, state what you expect. Not what you are currently receiving.
  Be prepared to justify why you expect that.
  
  if they offer you a salary level and its above your baseline. Up to you to accept.
  If the offer is below your baseline, (before walking away), ask for the whole package, and inquire why the offer is at that level. (again be ready to walk away). Maybe you can tell them --- "Is that your best offer?"
  
  
  Now if you cant walk away, and you need this job really bad, (well.... just dont let them know they can get you for a song).... then simply answer: "I need time to talk this over with my wife/husband".
  
  My point here, never apply on any job, where you cant walk away from,(if you really need a good salary offer).
  
  

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  15

  qsol

  03/13/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  @kmaxb - Excellent suggestions. While they may be a bit bold for some situations, they can be suitable modified.
  
  If not anything else, the interviewer will not forget you anytime soon (which could be a good thing)!

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  16

  Glenn Mandelkern

  03/21/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Should Jobhunters Reveal Salary Requirements?

  How to get around an online application asking for salary required? Some ideas come to mind:
  1. Enter the word OPEN. (It's what I do on physical applications.) See if that field accepts input other than numbers.
  2. Do your own research (online and off) to see other ways of applying for that same position.