Why Should Salary History Be a Secret?
There are good reasons to keep your previous salary confidential, especially if you are a member of a group that consistently suffers from low wages. Women still earn less than men – about 82 cents for every dollar earned by male workers. There is also a racial wage gap, which affects workers who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). Women belonging to racial or ethnic minorities face both wage gaps, further reducing their pay.
How to Handle Employer Requests for Salary History
If you live in an area that does not legally prohibit employers from asking about salary history, you have several options:
1. Provide salary information. This is the simplest solution, although it does not address the potential issue of low offers based on your previous pay.
2. Refuse to provide the information. You can cite confidentiality issues or similar concerns.
3. Try to steer the conversation back to the current role. This is fair – your new job will be different from the old one, even if the job titles are similar. Your compensation should be based on what you do in each role, not on what you earned from previous employers.
4. Provide total compensation information without specifying the salary component.
5. Provide your salary and mention bonuses without specifying that component.
6. Place dashes on requests to show that you’ve seen the question but refuse to comply.
What Employers Ask for as Proof of Salary
Some employers will ask candidates to prove their previous salary, such as through W2 forms. Others may conduct background checks that could cast doubt on any inflated or fabricated salary figures. It’s relatively easy for employers to determine typical salaries by reviewing industry salary surveys and online sources. If the salaries you present don’t align with industry standards, the company is more likely to request proof of what you were earning in your previous job.
What You Can Do
It’s fair to ask employers about the typical salary range for similar positions within their company or why a budget was set if you reveal your salary. This will give you a chance to argue, based on your qualifications, that you should be at the top end of the company’s salary structure. Additionally, if you are a high performer, this will give you a chance to explain why you would be willing to accept a lower-paying job.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it depends on local and state laws whether employers can ask for salary history or not. If you live in an area that prohibits this, you have the right to refuse to answer the question. However, you should be cautious in choosing the strategy you follow and providing appropriate information based on your specific legal and job circumstances.
Sources:
– Payscale. “The State of the Gender Pay Gap in 2021.” Accessed November 8, 2021.
– HRDive. “Salary History Bans.” Accessed November 8, 2021.
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/can-employers-find-out-how-much-you-made-at-your-last-job-2063396
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