You want my salary history - Why???????

There are few situations in the job search that cause as much frustration as the question: “What is your current salary” or “please provide a salary history”.  Most of the time, it seems there is no choice except to give what is requested and when you do provide it, you seldom hear back from that company.  It appears the question is primarily used as a screening aid to eliminate candidates making more than a positions projected salary.   This is bad for the candidate and bad for the company because they’re missing out on excellent candidates who are likely to be flexible on a salary offer.

So, how do you respond when this situation arises?  Let’s put things into perspective and take a look at the purpose of this request for information.  It is in fact a part of a company screening process and it does help eliminate candidates with a history of high earnings.  Historically, a person hired for a job well below their previous salary will only stay with the job until a better offer comes along.  This is a waste of time and money for the hiring company and they tend to protect themselves by gathering the salary information up front.  However, there are candidates who have earned high salaries in the past but are now looking for a career change and salary is’nt the primary concern.  A company will also use your salary history to negotiate an offer from a position of strength and knowledge.  When was the last time a company told you the position you’ve applied for pays $xxx and then asks for your salary history?  The word “never” comes to mind!  They don’t want you to know what it pays because you’ll have valuable information to use in negotiating an offer and they don’t want that to happen.

Since the hiring person is vague about their information, it is perfectly okay for you to be vague  with your information.  Make it a give and take situation, only giving back to the company the amount of information they’re willing to share with you.  Here’s an example of what can be offered when asked for salary information.  You’ve applied for a job and get an e-mail or phone call from the company asking for salary background.  They haven’t offered to schedule an interview and are fishing for information.  This is extremely vague and you need be aggressive and ask an informational question in return, such as “I’ll be glad to provide you that information but I’d like to know the salary range of the position first”.  This will throw the other person a curve they don’t expect.  The best scenario is they'll provide you with the salary range, which gives you an idea of how to respond.  Worse scenario is they tell you it’s their company policy to gather the information and they aren’t allowed to give out salary ranges.  Okay, fight vagueness with vagueness.  I would respond with this:  “My previous salary history is a composite of various positions I’ve earned over the years and based on the benefits I’ve provided to those employers.  I’d expect a future employer to provide a salary based on the value I’ll bring to them as an employee.”

Is that vague enough to make them try a different approach?  More than likely you’ll get a request for specific dollar figures and the standard line “it’s our company policy to get this”.  I’d be willing to bet money that their company policy manual has no such listing or requirement as it would open up several legal and discrimination issues.  But, you want to be considered for the job and don’t want to be seen as adversarial.  The next step is to offer an actual dollar figure as requested but still keep it vague.  My response would be “my previous salary was a total package of $xxx, which included salary, bonuses, benefits and expenses.”  Now the figure you give them might actually be your previous salary but they don’t need to know the specifics.  Let them figure how much is actual salary and how much is bonus and benefits.  By doing this, you’re giving them the information requested but also protecting yourself.  You’ll still be in the running for the job and be able to negotiate better when an offer is made.

There will be situations where a company is insistent on specific figures and you’ll need to make a decision at that time to give in or hold out.  If you aren’t ready to knuckle under yet, I suggest you tell them you’ll be happy to discuss your salary history in person during the interview process.  If they buy off on your bluff, you get an interview scheduled.  If they don’t, then give them what they want or even “low ball” the amount you give them.  Verbal information isn’t “official” and at this point you’re negotiating to get an interview.  When you actually fill out an application and sign your name, then it becomes an official document and must be factual (usually completed the day of the interview).

You don’t want to appear as uncooperative or secretive to a potential employer so it’s a fine line to walk.  As long as you’re offering them information incrementally and expanding on what you offer as the negotiation progresses, you’ll be fine.  Refusing to provide the requested information will only make the other person suspicious or angry and won’t help your mission to get a job.  The key point here is that you don’t have to immediately provide salary figures and the more you negotiate, the better position you’ll be in when an actual job offer comes your way.

Good luck and success in your job search!

________________________________________________________________________

Interview killers and stumbling blocks

During my years as a recruiter and hiring manager, I've found myself on both sides of the interview table.  Here are some of those little things that can kill an interview, even though the candidate might be a highly qualified prospect.  Most are glaringly simple and can be prevented using common sense, others are more elusive and easily corrected with some awareness.

1.  The resume:  Most of the time resume errors are caught and corrected by the recruiting staff prior to being sent to the hiring manager and an interview scheduled.  Candidates often bring a copy of their resume to the interview, just in case the interviewers don't have one in front of them.  If this hand carried resume still contains the spelling and grammatical errors, they will jump out at the hiring manager and negatively influence the rest of the interview.  Be sure to run Spell Check before printing the resume and always have another person critically read your resume for errors before saving it as a final copy.

2.  Late for the interview:  This is a no-brainer and should never happen but unfortunately it is a common experience for interviewers.  Sometimes a late arrival will just be informed they missed the allotted time and if there is any further interest, the company will contact them - basically a nice rejection.  Depending on the company or the interviewer, the interview may still take place but it will automatically have a negative start and the candidate will have to work twice as hard to overcome the initial impression.  A good practice for all candidates is to work on "Lombardi time".  Vince Lombardi was the highly successful football coach and a stickler for details and timeliness.  If a meeting was scheduled for 8 AM, his expectation was for everyone to be in place 15 minutes early.  If a player arrived at 7:55 AM, he was considered late and usually fined.  Planning ahead is critical for a candidate and leaving enough time to find unfamiliar locations and parking must be factored into the arrival time for any interview.  Arrive early (15 minutes is usually perfect), arriving early by 30 minutes or more can be detrimental to the candidate as well.  HR waiting areas are not overly comfortable and a candidate with a long wait time can get too relaxed, slouching in the chairs, talking on their cell phone, etc - all disturbing for the HR receptionist and usually reported to the recruiter or hiring manager.

3.  Cell phones, pagers, texting:  Be sure to turn off your cell phones or other electronic devices prior to meeting with the interviewer.  This is a common courtesy by both the candidate and the interviewer.  I've interviewed some excellent candidates and things were going well right up to the time their cell phone started ringing.  From that point forward, the interviews took a different and negative turn.  What a live cell phone tells the interviewer is that there are more important things going on for this candidate than the interview at hand.  When the personal ring tone is "unusual", that can have a very bad effect on the perception of the interviewer.  If the candidate isn't interested in making the best impression possible, then the interviewer isn't going to be interested in hiring them.

4.  Personal Appearance/Image:  This is a broad category so I'll try to narrow it down to a few specifics that a candidate can focus on and be better prepared for the interviewers expectations.  How a person dresses for the interview and their personal image is a critical first impression item.  The old saying "you only get one chance for a good first impression" is absolutely true in the interviewing business.  A candidate that arrives to interview in a corporate setting should be professionally attired.  This does not necessarily mean a business suit (male/female), but appropriate to the position and department of the company.  I've interviewed excellent candidates for IT positions that choked on the interview because they arrived wearing a suit and necktie.  The candidates were so uncomfortable in the unfamiliar suit that they were constantly tugging at the collar or adjusting the binding jacket - very distracting for the candidate and the interviewer.  A better choice for this candidate would have been a nice dress shirt and slacks, something professional and more inside their comfort zone.  When a candidate isn't fighting with his/her clothing, they can concentrate on appropriate answers to the interview questions. 
     Other dress snafu's are extremely short skirts, revealing tops, oddly colored hair dyes, visible tattoo's and/or piercings, body odor and excessive use of perfume or cologne.  Cleanliness is pure common sense but surprisingly, it isn't uncommon for a candidate to arrive smelling like they just left the gym without a shower.  These interviews don't last long and there is no excuse for this by a candidate.  Wearing revealing, scant or outlandish clothing during the interview is unacceptable.  This behavior can be construed as potentially distracting within a work place, thus having a negative impact on the interview.  Since a candidate won't know anything about the interviewer, it is important to approach the interview as conservatively as possible.  Wear clothing that conceals tattoo's as much as possible.  If the interviewer considers body art as unprofessional, don't kill your interview by showing off your "ink".  Body piercings are another first impression killers.  If piercings are "your thing", that's okay but leave them in the car for the interview.  A pierced tongue is one item I personally can't tolerate as an interviewer.  Lisping due to a tongue stud doesn't come across as professional and will cut an interview short in a hurry.  Lastly for this section, be very conservative with the use of perfumes and colognes.  Most interview rooms are small and usually have closed doors.  A heavy dose of a person's preferred scent can become stifling in that environment.  I've found myself so distracted by my inability to breathe that I've ended interviews abruptly just to get the person out of the room. 

5.  Lying:  Never lie about anything during the interview process.  Most candidates don't pay much attention to what they say during the interview process and sometimes stretch the truth about a previous skill or situation.  The interviewer is usually taking notes and often brings up information provided by an earlier question.  Suddenly, the story changes from the initial question and the interview immediately goes downhill.  Many interviewers have training on how to recognize body language and the eyes can reveal much more than words can convey.  The statement "I can't remember" by a candidate is as big a lie as they can tell.  Most people can remember the smallest detail of insignificant things from years past.  When an interviewer asks why the candidate left the last position after only two months and are told "I don't remember the specifics", the interview will end shortly thereafter.

6.  Arrogance/over-confidence:  I've asked candidates about their experience using a specific software program or piece of equipment (listed in the job requirements of the advertised job) and have been told "No experience with that but it isn't a problem because I learn computer stuff very fast".  The interviewer isn't interested in what you think you can do, it is more important to be up front, professional and humble when needed.  Another area that comes up often is the question concerning "have you managed or supervised other co-workers?" and getting an answer of "no, but don't worry. I know I can handle that easily".  Don't try to impress the interviewer with false bravado, they won't believe you and you'll be quickly heading for a reject status.

7.  Inappropriate questions:  I've had interviews that flowed along nicely until the end and I asked "what questions do you have for us?".  The candidate jumps right in and asks "how soon before I can take vacation days?" or "is it okay to bring my kid to work when I can't find a sitter?".  Unfortunately, a good interview reverses direction in a hurry  and the candidate receives a reject letter in a few days.  If you don't have the job, don't ask questions that assume you do.

These examples certainly don't cover all the interview killers but show a good sampling of the more common problems encountered by interviewers.  A good candidate will be aware of these items and act proactively to ensure they don't get caught in these "killer" snares.

Good luck in your next interview!
 

What happened to my resume????

I've seen many discussions on-line about the job search process and how to improve opportunities for success in landing a job. I would like to take moment and talk about what happens once a resume is submitted. This is an area unknown to most job applicants and one of extreme frustration.


Most companies utilize job boards (like CareerBuilder and Monster) to post job openings, as well as local advertising in newspapers or on Craigslist. As you can imagine, the number of potential candidates that use these venues is extremely large. As a corporate recruiter, I've literally received hundreds of responses to similar ads. Here is the "usual" process as these resumes pour in (keep in mind not all companies work this way, but it is fairly common for most).

- As the resumes arrive, they are received by either the recruiter or by an HR Admin person. They are date stamped for receipt and sorted into the appropriate job posting (most companies list multiple job openings at one time).

- Depending on the number of job openings a recruiter is working on, each posting is given a priority rating which means that some resumes may not get a first look for a few days or even a week.

- The recruiter starts with a quick review or scan of the resumes received (this could be just a few or a large stack depending on the response and time passed). This quick scan rarely last more than 30 seconds per resume and a decision if the resume is a reject or worthy of a more detailed review later is made. If rejected, the resume is not looked at again. Reasons for rejection are many but some are typical, such as wordy paragraphs that contain too much detail and take time to read, zero related experience for the job posting, a higher experience level than the open job requires, etc.

- This 1st scan usually eliminates 3/4 of the resumes. The remainder are then given a 2nd read which usually takes place at a later time (remember, recruiters have multiple job openings and must prioritize each listing). The 2nd read through is more detailed and the recruiter looks at areas that would make the candidate a fit for the job or not. This review will usually eliminate another 25-50% of the resumes.

- The remaining resumes then get another read through and notes are made for clarifying questions to be answered by an initial recruiter call. Depending on the responses from the potential candidate, the resumes are either rejected or narrowed down for a prospective interview.

- Those chosen for an initial interview (usually with the recruiter face to face or over the phone) are contacted. This initial interview will delve deeper into the prospects experiences and background, plus the recruiter will try to determine the whys and wherefores of the prospects interest in the job. Selling the recruiter is a critical step in getting the interview with an actual hiring manager. I estimate approximately 1/2 of the prospects initially interviewed are rejected as "not a fit" by the recruiter.

- The remaining prospects then become candidates and are set up to interview with the hiring manager(s). This number is usually broken down into a group of 3-6 candidates that will give the hiring manager a broad base to choose from. From this number - there is just one candidate chosen and an offer for employment extended.

So what happens to your resume and why don't you get any or just limited feedback on your submission? It's all about numbers and the limited HR staff that has to deal with the volume. Most of the time (especially when applying on-line), a prospect will receive an e-mail letting them know the resume was received. If a resume gets to the point of an initial interview with the recruiter, the prospect will "normally" get a confirmation notification of their status. If interviewed by a hiring manager, then it is common practice to notify the non-selected candidates of their status.

It would be wonderful if a company could provide up to date feedback to a prospect all along the line but unfortunately that requires a huge amount of data entry and most HR departments aren't equipped to handle it. I hope this sheds some light on the process and I welcome any feedback you might have.

Terry
http://www.hr-employmentsolutions.com/