Thanks everyone for your comments. I’m glad to hear the consensus seems to be that this is a deplorable practice.
Thanks, Voyager, I found one of Nick’s articles on the subject and found it very helpful.
[QUOTE=Quartz]
“I’m sorry but that is commercially confidential information and I am contractually bound to not reveal it.”
[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, this isn’t true - I checked my company’s confidentiality agreement - and I don’t think I could lie credibly.
[QUOTE=Cat Whisperer]
A company that demands to know your current salary is tipping you off to what they’ll be like to work for
[/QUOTE]
A lot of people have echoed this sentiment and I’m inclined to agree. I’m not desperate yet so I can afford to be picky. Once I’m desperate, I’ll consider bending over.
Since I first posted this thread I’ve dealt with one company that batted away all my evasion tactics and absolutely would not proceed if I didn’t provide the information. I declined, and that’s that.
Clearly, you WILL lose job opportunities if you don’t play ball. The harder question is whether these “opportunities” are worth it.
that should be the last question, when they’re ready to make an offer. guaging an applicant’s caliber by how much he’s making at the moment is rubbish (those earning less than $80,000 need not apply.)
“Why don’t we first determine if this is a good match, and then let’s discuss salary.”
Followed by this:
“My previous company paid me $xx,xxx per year, but they did offset this low amount with these benefits (6 weeks vacation, stock options with accelerated vesting, flex time). Without these benefits, I would be willing to entertain $xxx,xxx.”
My final strategy was:
“Well, I think the position has lots of promise and I am excited to have the opportunity to work on your project, but unfortunately, the amount you are offering is below what I feel would be fair compensation. I understand that your budget is limited, so let’s see if there are creative ways we can bridge the gap. How about an extra week of vacation every year.”
Of course, he just said, “Look kid, it’s like I said, we pay $8.15 and hour starting, what the fuck is your problem anyway?”
I keed… Really, variations on the script above have worked for me.
I understand your reasons for not wanting a potential employer to know your salary, but I’m lost as to why you wouldn’t want a recruiter to know.
The business of a recruiter is knowing how much people are making and how much companies are paying. They can provide a reality check as to whether your feeling of being underpaid is legitimate.
I don’t see the problem with telling a recruiter, “I’m making 60k, but I think that people doing similar work for other companies are making 80k, and I’m not interested in any position paying less than 75k. Since I’m looking for a substantial increase, please don’t reveal my salary to potential employers.”
An ethical recruiter will follow your instructions. Drop the unethical ones like a hot potato.
Depending upon the job I don’t see this being a bad thing.
I worked for AMEX for years and our office also happened to do remit and fulfillment for the Midwest. As a result there were often large sums of cash laying around. If you have serious financial issues that’s a legitimate concern.
I’ve come across many an online application that requires you to fill in this information. I hate having to answer it, but I know it can be verified so there’s no point in answering in any way but the truth.
Same goes for title… it turns out my old title is too junior for what I was actually doing, but since that can also be verified I cannot change it to something more reflective of my responsibilities. I can address this in an interview, IF I get past the bots who scan my resume…
The recruiter is paid by the employer. They are NOT on your side. Also, most have said that the reason they want to know my salary is that the employer demands this information.
Hard to tell them apart. If a recruiter revealed my salary to a potential employer, how would I know?
More and more I am coming across companies that don’t just want your resume but make you fill out an online form, which requires a number in that field or you cannot submit the application (I assume this is so all my info gets into their internal database properly). I have to put SOMETHING there, or not apply… often there is no other option. Sucks mightily.
I’m actually thinking that in the future I’m going to put the full value of my prior employment, including the value of all my benefits. My former employer kindly provided me with that number in the offer letter, so it’s a number I can back up with proof.