Comment by interlocutor | Hacker News Reader

Comment by interlocutor | Hacker News Reader

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This page explains the problem with this very well: https://www.inlinereferencecheck.ca/blog/is-the-work-number-...

Imagine for a moment that your current employer is paying you significantly less than the market value for your role based on your skills and experience, and attempts to request a review of your compensation have been rejected. You may then consider looking for work elsewhere. It’s likely that the question of your current salary will come up at some point during the interview process with a potential employer.

What would you do in this situation? On the one hand, if you’re honest about how much you currently earn, the potential new employer may be reluctant to offer a significantly higher wage… even if it is the “market value”. On the other hand, if you exaggerate your current salary to reflect a figure that’s on-par with what you should be earning, you risk getting caught in a lie when that employer screens you using The Work Number. Clearly, neither situation is ideal.

> It’s likely that the question of your current salary will come up at some point during the interview process with a potential employer.

This is why places like California and NYC have made this question illegal. Candidates can still volunteer this information if they want, and employers can verify it in that case.

But, as another commenter already said, there are ways people can learn to deflect that question toward what they're looking for instead of what they're already making. Recruiters usually accept this after a certain amount of pushback, though not always.

My answer to this is that I work at a giant monster mega bank. As a benefit of employment I have exclusive access to many various financial products with the option to personally refer people directly to financial advisors at the bank’s expense. It’s hard to put a value on that. To compete with the benefits from a mega bank I expect a salary of XXX.

Then they can ask for my current salary but I have largely invalidated the question.

>if you exaggerate your current salary

I was once being paid way below market, and while I couldn't get a substantial raise, I eventually got a promise of a market salary in the near future. So I immediately started interviewing outside the company and told them about my promised salary when they asked what I was making.

Deflecting the question this way did work to get me hired at a more reasonable amount, without being dishonest according to my conscience. However, things rapidly soured, and it's possible they checked what my salary had been and never asked me to clarify, so I may have outsmarted myself.

In order to leave my current position I'd need an offer of $XXX. My current salary does not include additional side benefits that company X offers that you don't.

Also you can say you have other offers (or even go ahead with multiple applications) and therefore you want a competitive offer.

You could also make it clear that you are leaving your current position because you expect to be paid market rate or better.

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