In a Washington Post article regarding resume etiquette, the author quotes an HR type who says she gets suspicious if a resume lacks a salary history. Either the person wants a big step up from their previous job, or they’re looking at a big step down.
I say, hey, my previous salary is none of your business. Maybe I’d put an estimate of my expected compensation, sure, but I don’t tell many people what my salary is – personal economics is private. Am I supposed to give details of my sex life on the resume too?
So my questions: is a salary survey important on a resume? Do you have one? Would you hire someone with/without one?
I found this on fark.com with the tagline “Hiring manager says not to doodle on your resume or attach a CD of your greatest hits” if you want to search for it. Their link works, but when I try to duplicate it I get a registration page.
I would only include if asked by a job ad. I’ve been hired without it. I’d hire someone without one. Of course, there is usually the salary negotiation stage.
I’ve read books about resumes. I’ve even taken business classes where a large section was devoted to making resumes, and I’ve never even heard of someone putting their past salaries on a resume.
Now, on applications, it’s common. On a resume? Never heard of it.
I find hiring managers asking for salary history as a signal of their inability to do their job properly.
A decent HR should be able to classify a position against a set of standards, including what salary level is appropriate for the position. By asking for a salary history from job applicants, HR is saying they doubt their own research, if they did it at all. They use it as a select out factor in job interviewing and hiring, assuming if your salary history is higher than they can afford, you would not be happy in the position if offered, leave too early and cost them a bundle in performing the hiring procedure all over again.
For me, it’s part and parcel of the “over qualified” attitude as a “justification” for not hiring someone. An individual is either qualified or not for a position. If their skill set shows they have more qualifications than the minimum stated, this does not equate they will be unhappy in the job and they are merely sitting at high idle drawing a paycheck until their dream job comes along. While there are many highly motivated, highly trained folks who would be bored in a less than perfect job, it does not mean this occurs all the time with all similar individuals. This becomes especially acute in tough job markets where quality folks cannot find the job they desire but need that job in order to put food on the table and have a roof over their heads. Sure they probably will take a better job once an offer comes through. They resort to looking for work at a level many HR folks think is way beneath them. It does not dawn on those same HR folks that somone with higher quals probably has exhausted their job search efforts in the field of their choice, needs a job, and while in that job if they get it, will do a super job if only because they are grateful to have any job.
In reality it’s an ego self-esteem issue with the potential employer. And, in my experience, it’s also about dumb HR people who are unqualified to do their own job.
I’ve reviewed at least 5,000 resumes in my career and I’ve never seen or heard of anyone putting their salary history on it. I wouldn’t expect anyone to, I wouldn’t ask anyone to, and I’d never do it myself. That “HR type” sounds like she’s brand-new or uninformed or something.
Also, although many companies ask for a salary history, wise job seekers avoid providing this: you should expect to be paid what the job is worth based on its duties and your skills, education, and experience. If you were underpaid at your last job, why should that affect how your next job pays you? If you were paid MORE at your last job than the new one wants to pay, well, if they really want you they will find the money to make it worth your while.
I don’t think salaries should be on a resume. I seldom if ever saw them there.
However, outplacement firms will ask for a a salary, and most candidates do provide one. Either how much they’re earning or how much they’re looking for. So, resumes via recruiters usually did include salary info.
I Never put salary history on anything when applying for a job. They should know what the job is worth and ask me what I want. Then you can negotiate. Previous jobs are non of their business. Does it matter that I made $6.25/hour at Pizza Hut last sementer (before I graduated) when I’m applying at your corporate offices?
I will occasionally include a ballpark figure of my last (but no further back) salary with my resume if it is specifically asked for, but not even all the time in those cases.
During my last bout of job-hunting, I stopped saying ANYTHING about my previous salary because I found it was turning people off. I made a LOT more in my last job than anyone is willing to pay now. And so if I told them what I used to make, they’d usually give me a response to the effect of “Well, we’re only willing to pay half of that, get lost”. Trying to negotiate after that was a lost cause.
And, IMHO, a large percentage of all those resume advice-related articles, books, etc. are a pure unadulterated load of horse plunkey.
As a manager who is responsible for hiring I will tell you that it is unusual for a salary to be on a resume. Salaries are only for when you are negotiating.
I’ve always heard that you never, ever, ever even mention money until they bring the subject up. Never heard of putting salary info on a resume – for one thing, it’s not exactly a confidential document.
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You must not be from the Chicago area. Since my father lost his job in July, everywhere he’s applied to has required salary his at his last place of employment. I agree with the OP that should should be kept PRIVATE! Every job interview he went to, everything was ok, except when the issue of salary came up. You see he used to make quite a bit, now he’s in a market that will only pay half or less than, so employers are afraid that he’d skip out on the job if he came across something better. So he told them what he made, and they would tell him, “Oh, you might not be happy with this position.” He would tell them that his salary isn’t a concern anymore, his needs are different, but they’re still afraid to hire him because of previous salary. I can understand that, but it should still be irrelevant. If it were me, I would’ve lied, but he’s honest, and he got screwed many times because of it. And get this, this last place he went to, required a recent pay stub!!! WTF? Wront, so wrong.
There should be a law against, “Salary discrimination.” So stick it in your ass Corporate America!
More and more of the newspaper and on-line jobs in the area are putting in the following line: “Applications that do not include salary history will not be considered.” I had seen it occasionally before but it’s becoming the custom.
All the books and articles I have read giving resume advice state that it should never be on your resume, but if the job has a disclaimer such as the one above that it had better be in your cover letter. But, you still don’t have to give your actualy salary, just add a line effectively giving a very broad range. For instance, if your last job paid $60,000, describe your previous salary as being in the $40-80K range.
I have never really considered it as a human resources department being lazy. First of all, in my field, a large portion of the employers are too small to have a human resources department. Secondly, no one outside the idustry even knows this job exists, so there is virtually no “research” than can be done, especially there isn’t even a standardized title for the position and the duties vary greatly from position to position.
ParentalAdvisory raises an interesting point: are employers allowed to ask for confidential information? As I understand it, there are anti-discrimination laws preventing them from asking about age, marital status, medical history… why not other confidential information? Should I tell them my bank balance, my mortgage payments, etc.? My current financial situation is of no concern of theirs; does the law provide any protection against this form of privacy invasion cum discrimination?
missbunny and I combined have reviewed at least 10,000 resumes in our careers and we’ve never seen or heard of anyone putting their salary history on it.
Parental Advisory: just to clarify, I doubt the companies your father is applying to want his salary history ON his resume. I know that many companies ask for it as some point, but providing it on the resume itself I’ve never seen.
Furthermore, if some company asked me to PROVE what my salary was - i.e., asked for a pay stub - I’d decline. Naturally that might affect my chances for the job. But I stand by my assertion that no company should be basing your pay on what you used to make. They should pay you a fair salary based on the type of job and your education and experience.
If you are applying to a company that insists on a salary history with the application (or into the trash it goes), and you are okay with that, then provide it - but never on the resume itself. Attach a separate piece of paper. Myself, I’d not wish to work for a company that requires information that has no relevance to them and is none of their g-d business. But that’s just me.
I rarely see salaries on resumes, but most applicants also fill out our company’s application, which does ask about past salaries. My feeling is: don’t put them on a resume. Do not request a specific salary, or if you do, at least make yourself sound negotiable. Do enough research to know what salary the position offers and be willing to negotiate. Recognize that few companies will be willing or able to go any higher than 20% over the stated minimum.
Example: Currently, I have an open position for a copywriter/editor. It’s really an entry level position, but I do require at least a couple years of experience. Due to the economy, I’m seeing resumes from people who are qualified to do my job (manager). Although their experience looks great and I’m convinced they would be a great asset to my team, I would be concerned that they’d just bolt in six months after hiring them.
So I send out a quickie e-mail to the candidate that says something like, “The position pays this much. Are you still interested? If you can work with that, then let’s schedule an interview.” I don’t even ask what they make now or made in their last job – it’s nunna my beeswax. That way I don’t waste my and the candidate’s time interviewing when the person couldn’t afford Ramen noodles on the salary I’m going to offer them. To someone who has been unemployed for six months or a year, any salary is better than unemployment – so I give the candidates an opportunity to turn me down before we go through the entire process only to find out the person would rather gnaw her/his own foot off than work at my company for a pittance.
From this point on, if I am asked for my salary history, I will respond that I would be happy to submit it upon recieving a list of the salaries of the other people currently in their employ that are at my hiring level – Quid pro quo. And then kiss that job goodbye, as I doubt it would endear me to said organization.