Tactful way find out job applicant current salary?

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: BobFout
My job history and skill set should be determining factors.


I think it should be the skill set by itself. If I was an employer looking for a good welder with certifications, I wouldn't care if he/she had been working at McDonald's. I'd give them a weld test and if they passed, they're hired.

 

[beanoil]

Just went through this. I was offered a dollar value by the interviewer, and asked if we were close to what I was making currently. That spawned a discussion about value, expectations, and what could be done.
BTW, they were way off the mark for experience level and what I brought to the table, so that gave me a definite idea of what employment would be like.

 

[Chris142]

A busisness will almost always loball on pay. When the a guy asked me to drive his truck part time he offered me $xx per hour which I thought was way too low. So I countered with my offer that was pretty high imo. He said he would let me know.

A few days later after losing $$ because he could not find a driver he counter offered a fair wage.

 

[North to Alaska]

I had an interviewer ask me what I currently make but refused to tell me what they would pay me.
[censored] off to no end and I told her so. Phone interview so I hung up.

Okay to ask but please be willing to tell.

 

[02SE]

I always just asked what their salary expectations were. For whatever job they were applying for, I already knew what the average compensation was for that type of position, in my area.

 

[SevenBizzos]

These sort of things are odd to me. I work for government and my salary is on full display for anyone that wanted to look at it. I used the transparency to see what the market value could be and then left my former employer over it.

If I was asked, I would answer. I just don't get the need for secretness between employer and employee (or prospective employee) on these things.

 

[Mr Nice]

Boss will hire and bring new employee up to what he should be making for their experience.

I feel nothing wrong with inquiring about their pay at current employer.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Boss will hire and bring new employee up to what he should be making for their experience.

I feel nothing wrong with inquiring about their pay at current employer.


Well there's nothing wrong with it yet. But it's probably true that by finding out, you have a chance to underpay them. Now that I think about it, I remember one hire I did a long time ago, it was a woman and she had an MBA. We ended up hiring her because many others applying didn't have an MBA, but the firm probably should have paid her more. Wasn't really our decision on the pay though, that was HR. Never asked her what she was making, but I knew the offer she got. She didn't need the MBA for the job.

 

[DBMaster]

It's very much like buying a car. The first one to mention dollars generally puts themself at a disadvantage. I have been through job search training a couple of times in my life and this topic is always covered at length with the advice to skirt the issue until after the interview. If you state a number too high you're likely out of the running and state a number too low you could shortchange yourself with a lower starting salary than you might have gotten. It's a real pain. If they insist, you can try turning the tables and ask them what the salary range for the job is. The majority of the time they know what they want to pay.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: SevenBizzos
These sort of things are odd to me. I work for government and my salary is on full display for anyone that wanted to look at it. I used the transparency to see what the market value could be and then left my former employer over it.

If I was asked, I would answer. I just don't get the need for secretness between employer and employee (or prospective employee) on these things.


Myself as well. I was underpaid at my last job and figured other private industry would just beat them by a nickel. I find help wanted ads that declare "competitive wages" not worth my time when (unhappily) employed. If they were competitive they'd say what they actually pay, otherwise they're just another lowballer who keeps losing workers.

So I took a gov't job where they actually declare the pay scale in the ad and we're a good fit for each other.

It's like a newspaper ad for a car dealer that doesn't put prices on and just reads "call!" Who bites?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

You don't

There is NO valid reason for asking for salary history. Asking for salary requirement is ok; asking for salary history is not. Why not just list the salary in the ad?

 

[Shannow]

There's plenty of reason to ask their expectation, but asking for current salary (or increasingly in Oz, a month's worth of pay slips) is rude, and gives the impression that your intentions are to find what in your mind is the minimum that they will take.

People sit in a position for years, gaining experience, usually for no improvement in remuneration...when they look for the next step, with that extra experience/skill set, you are taking advantage of that...it's only fair to offer honestly what it's worth.

In my time I've seen people apply for a lesser paying job to remove stresses, or reduce travel (saw a bank manager apply for a job at the hardware store)...what's the relevence of their current payslip in that sphere ?

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
What's the best and tactful way to find out job applicant's current salary ?


You work for a large corporation? What did HR say? Usually they confirm the applicant's salary requirements meet what the position pays before they pass the applicant on to the hiring manager.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Getting my current job was a hoot-- I think the only time that I've ever been asked in an interview what I was paid at my previous employer. Moving from CO to KY was the only reason for my job search- when I told them what I made in CO, I was honest with them. I got the "cost of living is lower here" argument (a poor one), they can't do any better. I have to put food on the table, so I took a decent loss by taking the job. I continued my job search and 6 weeks later landed one that paid better than what I was making in CO. I gave my 14 days notice and they asked me what I was going to make at the prospective employer. Then too, I was honest. They asked to match, I responded that I already committed. A day before my 14 days was up they offered about $5k annual over the prospective employer. That and better benefits made for an easy decision to stay.

I just don't understand the wage argument up front. If they paid me what I wanted to begin with (comparable to CO), I wouldn't have kept looking, and they would have saved money on my salary by not having to up-salary the next guy.

It's a pointless argument. If you're looking for a position where anyone with a pulse can do the job function, use a temp-agency. That way you can weed out the dead-beats, druggies and no-shows. If you need someone with actual talent, it's easy to implement some sort of skills test as part of the interview. Use that as a starting point, if someone qualified demands more than the job allows, keep looking. If they lack the skills or talent, keep looking.

 

[Shannow]

92Saturn,
a guy who used to be the turbine engineer at one of our station was told continuously for 18 months that they wanted to pay him more, but couldn't...right i.up to the day that he gave notice, and they offered to match.

He told them that he was peeved that they told him that they could do nothing for all that time, right up to the point that they told him that they could because he was leaving...didn't want to work for managers who were prepared to lie to him to make his services cheaper.

Left, and his career took a stellar trajectory.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
What's the best and tactful way to find out job applicant's current salary ?


You work for a large corporation? What did HR say? Usually they confirm the applicant's salary requirements meet what the position pays before they pass the applicant on to the hiring manager.


Right now hiring manager is just in talks with this person and will eventually hire them.
Certain things have to happen before the official offer letter can be sent.

They'll get approx 25-30% raise from what they are currently making plus much a better retirement and PTO package, training, OT, etc...

 

[Andrew1972]

If you know they get a 25-30% increase why ask ???

I emblish when asked especially if job is not interesting to me. Some of them bite.

 

[DBMaster]

Here's a quick story about a recent applicant at my company who blew it in the "what is your current salary" debate. He was offered the job, but wanted more money than the initial offer. That is great, and, for a purchasing job like ours I respect people who negotiate. But, he told our manager and the HR rep two different current salaries, $10,000 apart, in an attempt to get more money after the offer. He blew it because they compare notes and decided he wasn't an honest person.

 

[JasonC]

I declined a job last year when the employer wanted to see a copy of my taxes. It was a private sector job and they had no need to see my taxes. They never asked me what I previously made nor did I ask for a certain amount. When I asked why they wanted to see my taxes the answer I. Got was legally we can. I told them that legally I didn't have to show them and declined their job offer.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: JasonC
I declined a job last year when the employer wanted to see a copy of my taxes. It was a private sector job and they had no need to see my taxes. They never asked me what I previously made nor did I ask for a certain amount. When I asked why they wanted to see my taxes the answer I. Got was legally we can. I told them that legally I didn't have to show them and declined their job offer.


You should have told them that our president didn't even have to show a copy of his taxes!