Stop telling employers how much you make!
Tip from @Careersbykirstie, 8/9/22
Employers are actually banned in over 20 states from asking about your pay history
Thinking back to how many times I’ve shared my pay history on applications, in interviews, and on my resume, I wonder how often I got paid less or didn’t make it to the next level in the hiring process because my pay history was too low or too high.
Providing pay history during the hiring process seems harmless on the surface, but it can actually result in bias and discrimination. Do yourself a favor, and see what the laws are in YOUR state (each state is a little different). For example, In my state, if I disclose my salary history to a potential employer, then they’re allowed to confirm it. Otherwise, they’re not supposed to ask or consider my salary history when making an offer or determining my pay.
Does your state ban potential employers from asking about your pay history? See for yourself — here are a couple resources I used to check if my state banned employers from asking about salary history:
- HR Dive: Salary history bans – A running list of states and localities that have outlawed pay history questions
- Fairygodboss: Is it really illegal for your employer to ask your salary history? In these cases, yes
Ways your pay history can contribute to the gender wage gap & sabotage your chance of equal pay
If an employer uses your current pay salary to determine your future salary (or if you’re even going to get the job), there’s a pretty good likelihood you’re going to get underpaid. Consider all the ways your pay history does NOT paint an accurate picture of all your talent, worth, and what you deserve to earn:
- Your current or past wage doesn’t indicate the existing labor market conditions.
- Your salary doesn’t indicate your current qualifications and talent.
- Your pay history isn’t evidence of your current capacity to perform work.
- If you were initially hired by someone who paid you 10% less than your equivalent male colleagues, that lage of 10% will follow you indefinitely if employers use your current salary to determine your future salary.
- A history of low wages doesn’t mean you’re not a valuable and talented prospect.
- A history of high wages doesn’t mean that you’re unwilling to work for less money.
Employers may think that asking for pay history is a quick and easy way to avoid “wasting time” on a job applicant who would want a higher wage than they have the budget for. “Saving time” isn’t a good enough reason. Employers can post the salary range of open positions and let candidates self-select out before applying if the pay range is too low for them. Employers can’t assume that just because someone earned $120,000 in their last position that they wouldn’t take a job for $90,000. Employers need to let job applicants make that decision for themselves ahead of time — BEFORE they even apply for a job.
For more info (with good citations), check out the article, Why salary history bans matter to securing equal pay, by Robin Bleiweis from the Center for American Progress.