Why does an employer ask about my salary history?
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How can I prepare for salary negotiations?
How can I get salary data?
What type of salary information should I have ready before an interview?
Why does an employer ask about my salary history?
Negotiating Salary
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Karen James Chopra, LPC, MCC, NCC, has been counseling career clients since 1999 and has helped hundreds of clients change careers, find new jobs and deal more effectively with workplace challenges.
In addition to her private practice, she has worked for two national corporate outplacement firms: Lee Hecht Harrison and Resource Careers. These are the organizations that help people who have experienced a layoff or downsizing to find new jobs, and their programs are usually considered the gold-standard of job search technique.
Ms Chopra is a regular presenter on career issues, having taught career theory at the graduate level, designed and delivered numerous workshops, and served as a regular guest commentator on WMAL’s career radio show “Your Career Life.”
She is a career-changer herself. Before entering the counseling field, she worked for nearly a decade as a trade negotiator for the United States Government, first at the Department of Commerce and then at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Ms. Chopra holds a number of relevant licenses and certifications: licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the District of Columbia; Master Career Counselor (MCC), a designation of the National Career Development Association (NCDA); and National Certified Counselor (NCC), a designation of the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). She belongs to all of the relevant national and local associations involved in career counseling, including the American Counseling Association (ACA), the National Employment Counselors Association (NECA), the National Career Development Association (NCDA) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Career-Life Planning Network (MAC-LPN).
Her B.A. is from the University of Virginia, and she received a masters of science in foreign service from Georgetown University, and a masters in community counseling from George Washington University.
Why does an employer ask about my salary history?
Host: Why does an employer ask about my salary history?
Karen James Chopra: You get asked about your salary history because companies are trying to eliminate from consideration, candidates that are too expensive and they are also trying to determine just how much they are going to have to pay you to get you on board and trying to figure out if maybe they can use a little bit of that extra money to but the new photocopier that they need or to go to that conference they would really like to go to. So they are looking for salary information from you for no reason that's going to be useful for you. It is all about stuff that's helpful for them and so for that reason, you don't want to tell them how much you make and you don't want to give them a sense that they don't need to give you everything that they have committed to pay this position because you didn't make that much in your last job.
Transcripts
Host: Why does an employer ask about my salary history?
Karen James Chopra: You get asked about your salary history because companies are trying to eliminate from consideration, candidates that are too expensive and they are also trying to determine just how much they are going to have to pay you to get you on board and trying to figure out if maybe they can use a little bit of that extra money to but the new photocopier that they need or to go to that conference they would really like to go to. So they are looking for salary information from you for no reason that's going to be useful for you. It is all about stuff that's helpful for them and so for that reason, you don't want to tell them how much you make and you don't want to give them a sense that they don't need to give you everything that they have committed to pay this position because you didn't make that much in your last job. So they are looking to eliminate a candidate that's too expensive. They don't want to interview you if they think they are going to have to negotiate too hard to get you. Your job is to look like you are affordable all the way through to the point that you get an offer and they have decided that they are in love with you, you are their top candidate. Now you have got some serious leverage to see if you can move them to the salary that you are looking for. That's not something that they want to be in a position to have to do and that's why they would like to know your salary numbers upfront.
Negotiating Salary
Can I expect to get a better deal when negotiating salary and benefits?
What happens if I don't negotiate my salary and benefits?
What if an employer reacts negatively when I start the salary negotiation?
Should I address salary questions in my cover letter?
How do I handle salary questions on job applications?
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How do I answer questions about salary?
What if I can't dodge the salary question?
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