What would you say if someone offered you the position of CEO of a huge company – say Microsoft – today but wanted to pay you whatever you’re making today + 10%? Or even 25%?
If you’re like me, you’d feel like you were grossly underpaid compared to market value. And yet this is what happens almost every day in the corporate world.
That’s a big part of why I think it makes sense for people to lie about their current pay. Salary has as much bearing on resume qualifications as a company asking how many sexual partners you’ve had. Would you tell them that?
Asking how much would it take to get you to do a job based on the responsibilities is a better question. Having the hiring company tell you up front what they think the job is worth to them would work well too. Or maybe the candidate and the hiring manager/HR should independently write their numbers on a piece of paper and then exchange to see how close they are. You know, to keep things interesting.
A company saying it pays market competitive rates in a job posting is just a cop-out…
The good news is there’s a hint of change in the air. We now have one state (Massachusetts) that has banned employers from asking about your salary history. You can read the story here.
Why is this good news? Because it means companies will need to think more about what the job they’re filling is worth to them and offer that as compensation.
You will still have companies basing offers on candidate years of experience instead of the responsibility of the job, but this is at least a step in the right direction. Now, at least everyone with fewer years of experience will be taken advantage of equally!
There’s a saying I like, and this probably isn’t exactly right, but I’m going to use it anyway. A step forward, no matter how small, is still progress. So keep working at whatever it is that might be weighing heavy on you right now. You can get it done.
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