Interviews and salary questions

[wand3r3r]

I'm just curious about opinions on interviews where they ask what you are currently earning. Should this be answered or is it better to leave it out and just have a desired salary/see what they offer? Salaries can vary widely and my only worry about stating my current salary would be if it affects what they offer, as opposed to just offering a competitive market wage.

This is in software development, but could be in any field.

What resources do you guys use for software development salaries? I realize this varies widely by region etc. but what are the current sources you use?

 

[Markbnj]

I've never been asked directly for my current salary, and if I was asked to fill in an application form I would leave any such question blank. Money generally doesn't need to come up until they have decided they would offer me a position, and I have decided I would accept one.

 

[iCyborg]

I use google "average salary software engineer" to get this http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Software_Engineer_/_Developer_/_Programmer/Salary 🙂

Only once was I asked about my salary, and that was at the point where they would be offering me the position and "they wanted to make a competitive offer". Even then I was still somewhat vague (as in low 40s, mid 50s, high 5-digit, low 6-digit, you get the point).
Like Mark, if they require it in the application, I will leave it blank, or N.A., or give up on the job.

 

[Snapshot1]

Keep in mind there are many forms of compensation and many other aspects of employment including hours, commuting, work environment, stability or otherwise, nature of the work, prospects for advancement, travel, hours, your own skills and abilities, benefits of all kinds, etc. etc. etc.

In my view the most important aspect although the most difficult to determine is the quality of the people you will be working with.

Because of these and other factors there is not much point in discussing your current compensation with a prospective employer. In most cases employers already have a pay range for the job they are hiring for, and for most positions they want to hire into the lower third of the range, both to save money and to give them room for increases if these are warranted.

If you overstate what you are making now it might block them from making an offer, either because you are already out of their range or because they think you are lying. If you understate what you are making it might make them wonder if you are the right person for the job, and / or suggest to them that they make you a lower offer than they otherwise might have.

The best answer I have heard for this type of question was from a very successful recruiter who I worked with both as a candidate and as an employer.

His suggestion for candidates was something like "I would prefer not to discuss my current compensation, but if you will make me the best offer you can I assure you I will give it serious consideration".

Snapshot1

 

[alpineranger]

I've worked in a few large "programmer sweatshops" (read: lots of H1-Bs) and for those positions, they must publicly post the job along with the salary range. I don't know where to look for this material online, but in the office it's always posted in the breakroom or a similar area. I have found this to be the best and most accurate information regarding what a particular company pays. Beyond that it behooves you not to disclose this information, particularly if you are currently underpaid. I have experienced situations where a prospective employer chose not to proceed with an offer rather than give me my market rate, based on my foolish disclosure of my then current salary.

 

[wand3r3r]

These opinions confirm what I have felt intuitively. I think when they ask salary information it has a potential to backfire. They obviously have a pay range which they are targeting and it doesn't help much to reveal your current wage (higher or lower) then the amount they expect to pay, it's (potentially) detrimental for the interviewee.

 

[alpineranger]

True story - Potential new employer said they would give me an offer but they needed "guidance". First they asked me what I wanted, I gave them a number, which they seemed okay with - it was market rate and I had done my research. Unfortunately, they then asked me what I was making. When they heard my truthful answer, I heard nothing but silence on the other end, as I was asking for a 40% raise. Then I got some hemming and hawing and was told they'd get back to me, which I knew immediately would never happen. I learned my lesson from that, and the next 2 job offers I got, where I resisted giving any numbers at all, were all more than I had asked for initially. All of this was for similar positions in the same industry (competitor companies), same metro area, within about a 3 week timespan.