Why ask when you can just find out during background check. If anything, they should ban background checks completely.
Employers generally can't get your salary history during a background check without your approval.
New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
81–90 of 680 posts
Re: New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
Kind of off topic but should one always hide their current salary, even if it's above market rate (given their experience on paper)? It seems as though if an employer were only looking to spend so much on a hire, then if you're already likely above that number, wouldn't it save both you and the employer's time? I can see the obvious downside of sharing a relatively low salary, but it seems like there could be benefit…
That same employer could save MUCH more time by posting a salary range in the job posting..
Posting a range "job pays X to Y" runs the risk of every candidate assuming they'd be on the "Y" side, not the lower "X" side. If a candidate wows you, you want to impress them, so you have to have room to go above your posted range, in that case. But then you're being less transparent, once again.
Re: New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
Equifax has salary data? I hadn't heard that. //edit: Well shit, TIL: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/10/equifax-breach-fallout-y...
They do - I'm not sure how they licence it though or what data sources they use but I've seen that their data on high income households is the best in the business and shockingly accurate. However, I can't imagine the compliance nightmare that would exist around a process that lets HR people look up people's equifax information. If they get a full report, it could contain information about disabilities, national orig…
> However, I can't imagine the compliance nightmare that would exist around a process that lets HR people look up people's equifax information.
Employment credit checks are perfectly legal.
Re: New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
#84> The goal is to narrow the gender wage gap. If a woman is paid less than a man doing the same job and a new employer bases her pay on her prior salary, gender discrimination can be perpetuated, the bill’s backers say. Is it also banned for an applicant to inform the employer of their prior salary? If not, it would appear advantageous for non-below-average-salaried employees to being doing so, negating the effects of…
If only above-average-salaried employees reveal salary, and companies discard applicants that don't voluntarily reveal salary history, then that just means that companies end up paying more because they'll only hire people that got paid more than average in the past. Which is to say, no, I don't think it'll work out that way.
That's a good point as far as the employer's behavior goes. It still seems beneficial to the above-average applicant to reveal their salary.
I guess that means employers will assume you're below average unless you reveal your salary. That would tend to lump all the below-average people into the same salary class as far as the potential employer is concerned.
Re: New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you gather this information in any way from an applicant, you are opening yourself up to a lawsuit that will cost you many multiples of whatever you were hoping to save. Even if you win, which you won't. Also, "and — if applicants ask — must give them a pay range for the job they are seeking" So start offering what the job is worth.
are you sure you are replying to the correct comment. Nothing you wrote seems to have anything to do with what I posted:)
Gargoyle is responding to "No word on if they are allowed to use Equifax, etc to pull salary data from?"
Re: New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
#86This is a ban on employers -- afaik, recruiters can still ask (and many probably will ask). But, IANAL. (Correction: It looks like recruiters fall under this prohibition too, if they are acting as agents of the employer.) I personally never answer questions about my previous salary or my expected salary. When HR has given me forms to fill out that have questions about either I just leave them blank, and they've never…
Agents of the employer, such as recruiters, are also prohibited from seeking for this information. https://www.natlawreview.com/article/california-latest-state...
About to get a hell of a lot harder for contract recruiters to match candidates with expected salary, and match companies with candidates that fall within the salary bounds.
Only solution is probably to stress to their clients to just set a max salary and expect to pay it.
Re: New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think that holds only if your time is worth nothing. I don't want to go through weeks of interviews just to find out that my salary demands are $50K more than they're willing to pay.
This is exactly why I made the comment. Recently went through 4 calls and a full day on site just to be met with an offer they wouldn't budge on that's 20% lower than what I currently make.
The time everyone puts into it is part of the negotiating process. A company will budge if it's worth it for them -- and your job is to convince them it's worth it.
If the first thing out of your mouth is salary and they balk at that then you never even get to the negotiating phase.
A few failures, like you had, is simply part of the process. I don't think it's reasonable to expect to be successful a job hunting every time you go into the interview process. The time you put in is part of that process.
Re: New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
#88I've recently been on both ends of the table here. I don't share my previous salary but I'm always willing to share a pay range. The range being higher than I'd ever expect to get paid. I find this to be important when discussing salary with an employer because it gives me a baseline to continue discussions. If they can't meet my bottom line then I'm not interested. The reason I give a range is because salary is only…
How well has "giving a range" worked for you? I think when you give a range, the employer always tries to pay you the minimum in your range.
Re: New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
#89Now Washington state please.
Re: New law bans California employers from asking applicants their prior salary
#90Well... there goes your expectation of an increased salary without negotiation. And they did this to improve the gender wage gap? People who don't negotiate will be stuck with their same salary year over year, while those that negotiate will have steadily increasing salaries.
How do you figure? I've always negotiated my salary. I've turned down offers that were too low for me. I don't think I've given my salary information to any employer I've been interested in working for. I think maybe the first time I worked with a recruiter I gave it to them, then realized it was a mistake.