Applying for a job that pays a much higher wage than you're on atm.....

R.O.S.S.I

R.O.S.S.I

R.O.S.S.I

Soldato
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Hi all, just wondering what people's thoughts are on this. I've been looking at some jobs recently and one has come up and looking at the job spec/description its bang on the money of what I do now pretty much but pays a hell of a lot more.

The only thing is the job pays just over 50% more than i'm on at the moment and the application form asks for my current salary.

I don't know if its just me being paranoid but would indicating I got paid quite a fair bit less than the job that is being advertised put me at a disadvantage?

I know i'm probably being irrational and if my cover letter, CV and application form are all up to par then it shouldn't matter really but I feel like they may look at it and dismiss me because I don't earn as much as potentially some applicants - as if to say salary is an indication of how suitable you are for the job!
 
It asks on the application form for your current salary and benefits.

Id rather not leave it blank tbh! Just wondering what people think!
 
In line with market offerings?

If you do put too low then I'd say that you probably won't get offered what they're offering, or will think you don't have the experience/skills.
 
Just lie on the application form. At least if you don't get the role you'll know it's your lack of ability rather than the salary ;)
 
I think it's a crap question to have on an application form personally, I've got an interview this week for a job which market rate is about 2.5 times my current wage, my current wage means nothing compared to what the wage on the new job is.
 
EVH said:
Just lie on the application form. At least if you don't get the role you'll know it's your lack of ability rather than the salary ;)
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Don't do this - you're only part way through the tax year, they will find out and there are plenty of places that will sack you for it especially any financial institutions. HR can be quite bureaucratic and while any external background checking agencies might be staffed by numpties they do follow a strict process and they do check everything they can - if you're caught fibbing then you can be out of the door within your probation period regardless of whether your manager likes you.

If they're a decent employer and they're advertising the rate then you ought to expect to get paid that rate regardless of your current rate - you're earning below market rate at the moment (presumably) - if you can demonstrate you're capable of doing the job then the new employer should want to retain you and not want you to jump ship again in another 6-months to 1 year because they got stingy and you're still below market rate after moving to them. Unfortunately not everyone is a decent employer and that is a risk you'll have to take - though I'd say its a better risk than lying, moving jobs and then having that potential risk of losing the job you just moved to - then you're really screwed and you'll have something more awkward to explain in an interview than simply a low salary. Its a question on the form and one they'll probably ask you about in interview too not to mention something they'll find out eventually anyway - trying to dodge the question with some smarmy one liner about not wanting to reveal 'that information' doesn't look good IMO and will create an awkward moment in the interview which is where you're trying to impress and build up a rapport with them - why not tell them that you feel your current salary is below market rate. The hiring manager has the headcount approved at a particular rate, depending on the company he should be able to give it to you - if he can't due to some internal HR policy then you're better off looking elsewhere - you're already in a job, you don't *have* to move, you're not some grad desperate to grab his first role rather you can sit and wait for a few months for the right role to come along. They know this too so if you fit the job description, they like you and you make it clear that the advertised rate is what it would take then I think that's the best approach to take.
 
just leave it blank, its something a lot of people deem highly personal and therefor bugger all to do with them
 
SilverTongue said:
Don't think you have to tell your current salary whether they ask or not?
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You don't have to tell them anything you don't want to... but its a two way process and you're trying to impress them. If you handle it awkwardly, palm them off with a smarmy reply or lie to them then it might work for you but IMO its taking on pointless risk - either risk of coming across awkwardly as you don't deal with the question well enough or risk of getting caught lying.

I'd say a good portion of managers/HR people will ask the question again after your first rebuttal... they'll likely do some form of objection handling - I think you'd have to handle it pretty well for it to not come across awkwardly - it really depends on the personality of the person interviewing you and your own personality - if the refusal becomes a small confrontation it could quite easily cause the interviewer to dislike you.
 
dowie said:
Don't do this - you're only part way through the tax year, they will find out and there are plenty of places that will sack you for it especially any financial institutions. HR can be quite bureaucratic and while any external background checking agencies might be staffed by numpties they do follow a strict process and they do check everything they can - if you're caught fibbing then you can be out of the door within your probation period regardless of whether your manager likes you.

If they're a decent employer and they're advertising the rate then you ought to expect to get paid that rate regardless of your current rate - you're earning below market rate at the moment (presumably) - if you can demonstrate you're capable of doing the job then the new employer should want to retain you and not want you to jump ship again in another 6-months to 1 year because they got stingy and you're still below market rate after moving to them. Unfortunately not everyone is a decent employer and that is a risk you'll have to take - though I'd say its a better risk than lying, moving jobs and then having that potential risk of losing the job you just moved to - then you're really screwed and you'll have something more awkward to explain in an interview than simply a low salary. Its a question on the form and one they'll probably ask you about in interview too not to mention something they'll find out eventually anyway - trying to dodge the question with some smarmy one liner about not wanting to reveal 'that information' doesn't look good IMO and will create an awkward moment in the interview which is where you're trying to impress and build up a rapport with them - why not tell them that you feel your current salary is below market rate. The hiring manager has the headcount approved at a particular rate, depending on the company he should be able to give it to you - if he can't due to some internal HR policy then you're better off looking elsewhere - you're already in a job, you don't *have* to move, you're not some grad desperate to grab his first role rather you can sit and wait for a few months for the right role to come along. They know this too so if you fit the job description, they like you and you make it clear that the advertised rate is what it would take then I think that's the best approach to take.
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I feel the salary of the job i'm applying for to be very good and pretty much market rate, maybe slightly more but not much.

Just wondering what the best way to approach this is. Like others have said I don't want the lower wage to come across as that i'm not experienced enough to do the role when I feel I am and I don't want to be dodging any questions that may come my way.

I didnt think that organisations seek your current salary when obtaining references. What has the tax year got to do with anything?
 
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I've always lied it's got nothing to do with them.

At the least leave it blank if they then pressure you tell them it's personal.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
I didnt think that organisations seek your current salary when obtaining references. What has the tax year got to do with anything?
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You're going to be paid PAYE presumably? They will want your P45 - otherwise they're still going to have to sort out your tax with HMRC... they need to know how much tax to deduct over the rest of the year so I'm pretty sure they'll find out even if you conveniently 'forget' where you placed the P45 after lying about the salary you were on. Some employers might not care/bother to check... for any employers that do do basic background checking its fairly trivial to establish if you've lied.
 
All this assuming HR may look at your application form and your p45 to see if it matches up...
People in HR are numpties.. lie away my friend and enjoy the payrise!
 
tribz said:
When you give your new employer your P45 from the old job, I believe they'll know the old earnings from this.
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This has been bugging me. Since my last place went bust, I don't have any P45 or pay slips to show. Yes, dodgy but the payslips were all computerised, I seen them but never chased to have them printed nor did anyone else in the company. Small agencies, eh!
 
Don't lie.

Just tell them your whole package.

For example if you were on say 45k but you got healthcare, insurance, 30 day holidays, pension, company car and x% bonus. Tell them that your package is worth say 50k to you at the moment. So you may not be earning 50k, but your package is worth that much. :)

In my current role, when I was asked what I was on and what I wanted I told them my current package as a whole, and said I expected a better package, and I got it. :) Experience and skills help too, but you need to sell yourself UP rather than down. People will pay if they feel you're worth it.
 
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