Relaunchers are particularly vulnerable in responding to salary history requests. They often have extended career breaks, dated salaries, and/or low hourly rates from consulting or project gigs with which they filled their employment gaps. But if they decline to share salary history, they may fear that employers will “lowball” them. This may leave relaunchers feeling confused and conflicted about responding to salary history requests. In this post, we offer five tips for navigating this tricky terrain.
Nancy, a financial technology sales professional, took an 8-1/2 year
career break to parent her two children and was preparing to relaunch in
the same industry. She was excited about a job posting for an ideal
position at a major media firm that would allow her to use her stellar
sales skills and develop expertise in new areas. When filling out the
online application, though, she hit a brick wall: Salary History.
Concerned that her dated salary would automatically deflate any
possible future one, Nancy tried to bypass the Salary History questions.
However, the online application system would not allow her to do so.
She then tried to insert “Willing to Negotiate,” but the system would
not accept the text. Frustrated and angry, Nancy abandoned the
application and continued her search elsewhere.
Sound familiar?
Requests for salary history have been the subject of much recent
debate. Last fall, a bill was introduced before Congress that would
prohibit employers from asking prospective hires about past wages and
salaries. While the future of federal legislation is far from certain,
the City of Philadelphia and State of Massachusetts have enacted similar
laws, and other states and municipalities appear to be following the
trend. The rationale for such laws is to prevent those historically
disadvantaged by wage gaps (including women) from being shackled by
lower wages and salaries.
Relaunchers are particularly vulnerable in responding to salary
history requests. They often have extended career breaks, dated
salaries, and/or low hourly rates from consulting or project gigs with
which they filled their employment gaps. But if they decline to share
salary history, they may fear that employers will “lowball” them. This
may leave relaunchers feeling confused and conflicted about responding
to salary history requests. Below are five tips to help navigate this
tricky terrain:
- You may not even be free to share your last salary.
Your past employers may have had policies or agreements whereby you are
not allowed to share salary information with third parties. A
prospective employer requesting your salary history may even have such
policies in effect for its own employees! If you were subject to
confidentiality restrictions at your last employment venue, you may want
to decline to provide the info, or, depending on the circumstances,
state that you’d be willing to share it once the position has been
negotiated, an offer has been made and salary is being discussed.
- Make informed decisions based on your own good judgment and unique circumstances.
While providing salary history is often not advantageous for
relaunchers, some circumstances will warrant providing it. Perhaps
declining to provide the info will risk an opportunity that you’re
unwilling to lose. Maybe the prospective employer has a set amount that
he/she will pay (regardless of your salary history), and you’re willing
to accept it for a chance to relaunch. Or it could be that you feel so
confident that you’ll be able to effectively convince the employer of
the value of your current skills that minimal significance will be
placed on your salary history. Either way, thoroughly assess the risks
and your negotiating power in the situation.
- Prepare your approach.
Don’t wait until the salary history request is made – and you’re in
panic mode – to decide how to respond. Consider some options in
different contexts:
• If the request is made in person, state your salary history accurately or request to postpone such discussion until later in the screening process or decline
responding either due to confidentiality or because you believe your
past salary is not a relevant basis upon which you should be valued for
the current role.
• In an online application, state your salary history accurately or
insert characters or numbers (a series of 1’s or 0’s) that are clearly
not accurate but allow you to complete the application and/or explain in
a dialogue box.
• In a paper application, state your salary history accurately or write a note in that section explaining that you are declining to respond as discussed above.
- Do your research.
Whether you choose to provide the info or decline to disclose, move
forward in conversations with a prospective employer armed with research
about competitive salaries and the market rate. Also, as always, be
prepared to articulate your value!
- Always be truthful.
Misrepresenting salary history is never worth it. You may be able to
overcome other challenges like rusty skills, a long gap or a lack of
expertise, but you cannot overcome an employer’s doubts about your
credibility and character.
