AB168 - Salary Info During Job Interview Process

[asdfghwy]

https://www.sfgate.com/business/net...California-employers-from-asking-12274431.php


I potentially have another job offer internally, and was maybe going to use this little trick. Has anyone used this newly effective law to get salary range info during an interview process?

 

[Eldritch]

Interesting. My old Salary came up very rarely ever in past interviews, they seemed mainly interested in making me an offer that had already been budgeted for on a gig, and negotiation wiggle came from there on out once the initial offer was on the table. Kind of nice to be able to pigeon hole the range now, but I assume they will start posting wildly wide ranges for positions as a measure to not lose leverage.

 

[antidote]

Prior pay never came up in my many interviews. But my jobs have/are lame lol.

Default answer should be...not enough, why else do you think I'm here today? Now, the real question is, how much are you gonna pay to get me to show up again tomorrow? /sarcasm

 

[Reli]

Most online applications will still ask for prior salary, especially if their main headquarters is not in CA.

As for the salary they pay, if the company is big enough the data will be on Glassdoor.

 

[TylerW]

I typically bring up the salary range during the phone screening. No point in wasting people's time in interviews if it doesn't pay what I'm looking for.

 

[Schnellbandit]

If you want salary range info, ask. Asked tactfully getting the answer should be easy.

Using tricks to get info in.an interview can make you appear slick instead of smart. Sales? Slick wins. Anything else, smart comes out on top. Imo.

 

[Kornholio]

I never ask what they made in the past. I ask them what they want to make working for us. I'm already completely informed on what the going rate is for a tech in the Bay Area anyway so chances are I'm pretty well sure of what they made at their last employer without them telling me.

 

[asdfghwy]

Thanks for the input everyone.

This isn't a conventional interview or job process because I was approached by a director whom I work very closely with to come work for him (same BU, different group). Him and his staff are already well aware of my capabilities and experience so the interviews are more of a formality than anything IMO.

Like Schnell said I don't want to be "slick" in the interview(s), but if I can ask the HR rep via a simple email and they have to tell me, that's cool.

 

[ctwo]

Interesting. My old Salary came up very rarely ever in past interviews, they seemed mainly interested in making me an offer that had already been budgeted for on a gig, and negotiation wiggle came from there on out once the initial offer was on the table. Kind of nice to be able to pigeon hole the range now, but I assume they will start posting wildly wide ranges for positions as a measure to not lose leverage.

We use survey data to establish salary range. Yep, 60k to 130k depending on many factors. I've only been asked once in a phone interview and the response was a chuckle and comment, "I haven't made less than 130k in over 10 years."

 

[NorCalAthlete]

I typically bring up the salary range during the phone screening. No point in wasting people's time in interviews if it doesn't pay what I'm looking for.

I started doing that too eventually after a couple different first round interviews led to insultingly low ranges to where it wasn't even livable in the Bay Area, and about half what competitive pay should have been.

 

[RightCoastBias]

I typically bring up the salary range during the phone screening. No point in wasting people's time in interviews if it doesn't pay what I'm looking for.

Yup, same here. Don't want to waste their time or mine if they're not paying in my salary range. If they're unwilling to give a salary range, I generally don't proceed with the interview process. I've found that it's generally a low salary range if they're unwilling to share.

 

[Schnellbandit]

Thanks for the input everyone.

This isn't a conventional interview or job process because I was approached by a director whom I work very closely with to come work for him (same BU, different group). Him and his staff are already well aware of my capabilities and experience so the interviews are more of a formality than anything IMO.

Like Schnell said I don't want to be "slick" in the interview(s), but if I can ask the HR rep via a simple email and they have to tell me, that's cool.

Play your cards better, do not ask for the salary range in writing, that puts them in a spot.

A phone call works far better because it brings something to the discussion so lacking these days, a personal touch, your human side instead of an email that they might think can get copied and pasted all over the place. Besides, what you might find out could be just for you, not everyone else. It can be amazing how one person can get a certain level of compensation while another gets far less and it has nothing to do with anything except how your pursure that compensation.

There is something called hire above maximum. This is reserved for candidates who display the qualities needed by the company in a way better than other candidates do, using prior salary is one way to grease that skid.

Sometimes you can ask the question as one seeking to determine how competitive their compensation packages are.

Take government jobs for example. They always have a published salary range, yet, you can get hired above that range by finding out a specific talent or skill they need that allows them to hire above maximum. Private companies often have pre-determined ranges too. Break out of those ranges or at least head for above minimum.

A sample question, since all of the above is worthless without at least one concrete example:

Good __________ ( not a Hi or Hello), my name is _____________ (full name not an alias), I need some help, (people love to help) I'm trying to find out if my expectations for the job/position of ___________ are reasonable in your company. I'm seeking a range of __________, do you know if that would be considered and if you're unable to help with that question, would you direct me to the person that can help?

Unless they have a strict prohibition against general info, believe me, someone there is going to tell you. There are no such things as secrets or confidentiality, the right approach can get past any of that.

 

[Yakoo752]

once and was told they couldn't compete and I should stay where I am since the market wouldn't compete with it elsewhere

:laughing

and I thought I was underpaid

 

[Eldritch]

Play your cards better, do not ask for the salary range in writing, that puts them in a spot.

A phone call works far better because it brings something to the discussion so lacking these days, a personal touch, your human side instead of an email that they might think can get copied and pasted all over the place. Besides, what you might find out could be just for you, not everyone else. It can be amazing how one person can get a certain level of compensation while another gets far less and it has nothing to do with anything except how your pursure that compensation.

There is something called hire above maximum. This is reserved for candidates who display the qualities needed by the company in a way better than other candidates do, using prior salary is one way to grease that skid.

Sometimes you can ask the question as one seeking to determine how competitive their compensation packages are.

Take government jobs for example. They always have a published salary range, yet, you can get hired above that range by finding out a specific talent or skill they need that allows them to hire above maximum. Private companies often have pre-determined ranges too. Break out of those ranges or at least head for above minimum.

A sample question, since all of the above is worthless without at least one concrete example:

Good __________ ( not a Hi or Hello), my name is _____________ (full name not an alias), I need some help, (people love to help) I'm trying to find out if my expectations for the job/position of ___________ are reasonable in your company. I'm seeking a range of __________, do you know if that would be considered and if you're unable to help with that question, would you direct me to the person that can help?

Unless they have a strict prohibition against general info, believe me, someone there is going to tell you. There are no such things as secrets or confidentiality, the right approach can get past any of that.

Not sure if you read the above new law, but a lot of what you just said would be considered a violation of it. That was sound advice up until CA this year.

 

[Schnellbandit]

Not sure if you read the above new law, but a lot of what you just said would be considered a violation of it. That was sound advice up until CA this year.

"California employers can no longer ask job applicants about their prior salary and — if applicants ask — must give them a pay range for the job they are seeking, under a new state law that takes effect Jan. 1."

Approaching this from the prospective employee side, not employer side. Nothing prohibits a person from asking the salary range for a job unless I missed something.

I thought the OP wanted to find out what a job would pay, not that he was hiring someone and wanted to know what that person was being paid at their current or past jobs.

 

[aminalmutha]

https://www.sfgate.com/business/net...California-employers-from-asking-12274431.php


I potentially have another job offer internally, and was maybe going to use this little trick. Has anyone used this newly effective law to get salary range info during an interview process?

Good. I would never answer anyways. "I need to be at least $X/year." Some places guffawed, some had no problem. I've gone round and round with people on this. "What do you make?" "I need $X". "That's not what I asked, what do you make?" "Doesn't matter, I told you my requirements." Etc, etc.

Lowballing HR scum.

 

[Eldritch]

"California employers can no longer ask job applicants about their prior salary and — if applicants ask — must give them a pay range for the job they are seeking, under a new state law that takes effect Jan. 1."

Approaching this from the prospective employee side, not employer side. Nothing prohibits a person from asking the salary range for a job unless I missed something.

I thought the OP wanted to find out what a job would pay, not that he was hiring someone and wanted to know what that person was being paid at their current or past jobs.

As I read the Law, Hiring above Maximum would be a violation of the law. The Law seems to limit a lot of Employer discretion on compensation. FOr example, if you tell applicant 1,2,3 that the range is X, when Applicant 4 is tits on a tank and you want to pay extra to capture him, if you go above maximum, you have violated the law because of what you told 1,2, and 3 what the range was.

 

[Reli]

Good. I would never answer anyways. "I need to be at least $X/year." Some places guffawed, some had no problem. I've gone round and round with people on this. "What do you make?" "I need $X". "That's not what I asked, what do you make?" "Doesn't matter, I told you my requirements." Etc, etc.

Lowballing HR scum.

The only reason employers ask for your prior salary is so they can:
A) Low-ball you if your prior salary wasn't very high, or
B) Remove you from further consideration because it's assumed you wouldn't be motivated by the job since you were already making "too much". Without stopping to consider that maybe you're motivated by things other than money.

 

[TylerW]

The only reason employers ask for your prior salary is so they can:
A) Low-ball you if your prior salary wasn't very high, or
B) Remove you from further consideration because it's assumed you wouldn't be motivated by the job since you were already making "too much". Without ever letting you make that decision.

Right. That's why you ask them first. Make them show their hand.

 

[Reli]

Right. That's why you ask them first. Make them show their hand.

I would rather do my homework in advance and find out what that company pays. Why bother asking when I can usually find out myself? Plus, asking during the first interview seems kinda crude IMO, because it makes you seem like money is more important to you than the company and the unique opportunity it offers. But that's just me.......Most of you are probably younger than me and work in the tech industry, where there are different rules.