The Dean

Is there a single agreed etiquette on this?

Prospective new employer verbally offers job (nothing signed yet), then asks for a copy of a recent pay slip or some other proof of salary.

It's happened to me once (I told them to shove it, and it didn't stop me getting the job), but why do they ask this? Apart from anything else, it's confidential....... the current employers would also not want details of, say, their housing allowances made known to a competitor firm.......

It's also irrelevant - the current salary may reflect an entirely different job description, or a different level of seniority, etc......

....... and what if the new employers then decide (for whatever reason) not to proceed with the offer? You will presumably continue to work for your current employer, with a third party having full knowledge of your remuneration.

I think it's outrageous........... so I'd refuse to divulge it.

Anyone?

Bahtatboy

Absolutely right. Your previous remuneration has got sweet FA to do with your new or prospective employer, and its possibly a breach of trust to reveal it.

'king employment agents do the same thing--I always get away by saying something like "a significant package" or "a 6-figure salary and package". Sometimes the persistent little buggers persist, but I usually hold out.

Good luck.

Roadking

Totally agree, no relevance to the position you're discussing.

Tell them to 'koff...but nicely of course.

Bahtatboy

BTW, ima no avatar ha ii desu! (ima = now, no = indicates the possessive, ha = indicates the subject of the sentence, ii = good, desu = is).

Used to have a drinking buddy called Honda--he was a second-hand car salesman, specialising in yank tanks for the yakuza.

Millhouse

I had to do this recently. I sent them a copy of a payslip with a cover note containing a whole bunch of caveats. I took the view that they would find out if I told them or not anyway (mine was two government bodies with common shareholders)

The past is the past... it shouldn't affect how you negotiate the new pay. You don't have to accept the job... unless of course you have to.

Grace O Malley

Absolutely refuse. Its def a breach of confidentiality to the existing employer.

Why does the new employer want this info anyway?

zoukla

500% agree. this is a particular habit cultivated by our own UK Recruiters and employers. Not sure how this can be overcome other than taking the position you have taken.

DH is on the hunt for a QS role and i thought he was writing plays when he mentioned this and other acts, but seem quite common place....
Anyone knows anyone wanting a Chartered QS. please pm me.:fingerscrossed

Grace O Malley

never heard of anyone having to give proof of previous salary before. As your husband has recently been asked and EM recently asked, I guess this is a new muppet trend.

Its none of the prospective employers business what you currently earn end of.

Tockalosh

I know exactly why there are asking for this

Its because people bullshit about what they are currently earning.

As an example, guy gets a call from an agent about a position and agents asks what he is currently on.
Guy adds five or ten grand a month so that potential new employer has to better it a by a bit to make it attractive.
Guy then potentially gets 15 grand a month pay rise if he is lucky

Employers now are getting hacked off with the bullshit. Why pay 50k a month to a guy who would actually jump ship for 40k a month

I personally never divulge my salary or package to an agent or employer. I simply tell them what I want or what they need to do to make the position sexy enough

Simples

Tockalosh

oh and am sure there was a QS role advertised in the Gulf Daily News Bahrain either today or yesterday, cant remember which should you fancy a move to balmy island life

Hello.Kitty

if they were really pushy, couldn't you go halfway house and submit a copy of the payslip with all sensitive information blacked out. It'd be completely meaningless, but you would have jumped that hoop.

The Dean

So what if people do exaggerate? It's still irrelevant information to a new employer.

And there's something else - if (for any reason) the firm does not proceed with the offer, you will presumably carry on with your current job - but you will have breached your firm's confidentiality rules by divulging this to a third party. It's sensitive information..............

"Hey look at this pay slip! Employees at that firm get very low housing allowances! I thought that person we've been hoping to poach would be too expensive, but if that is all they get for housing, we'll be able to tempt him after all....."

In this case, I suspect it's the pimp, not the employer, who wants the info (so he knows who to target in future, how much to offer, etc).

Grace O Malley

Of course people bullshit about what they currently earn. If you dont the prospective employer will want to recruit you as near to that as possible

Anyone looking for a new job, or being headhunted or whatever will give a figure they want to earn , not what they are currently earning.

Surely the reason most people leave their jobs are: a) to earn more money b) better career prospects. Its up to the employer to set a figure for which they think the position is worth and then find the best candidate, if they cant they have to raise the salary

Tockalosh

Perhaps its me being a little niaive but from an employers perspective; if I want a guy to be, say a QS, and I can get him for 40K a month instead of 50k a month then wouldnt I want to get him for the lower amount. He may be Gods gift to QS-ing but I want to get him for what he will be willing to move for and not necessarily what he wants in an ideal world.
Now that amount will vary dependent upon circumstances. If say there are loads of companies laying off QS's then I know that I wont need to pay excessively because any QS's not finding new employers in the GCC will have to go back to the UK and pay taxes etc so they will be a bit more desperate and I may be able to even match his existing salary
So asking for an existing salary statement is bang on given the current employment situation
Obviously if we go back to boom times with loads of jobs on offer then the above goes out of the window and its back to name your salary time.

I reckon I get a bang on salary for what I know and what I do. Would I love to have another 10k a month, well of course I would but I asked for what I wanted, not what I reckoned I could get by giving it a dose of bullshitting. I am happy, my boss knows he is paying a fair rate and so I am not going to jump ship for a few grand and cost him more recruitment fees etc.

Tockalosh

I have to add that loads of people I know bullshit about salaries but they rarely ask for what they want
They usually quote some bullshit amount they earn now and dont actually ask for what they want. They leave it to the agent/future employer to come up with a figure
Strange hey