[Ana]

California bosses can no longer ask you about your previous salary

Considering all of the salary and job questions on this forum this news article is significant for those of us in California. I personally am thrilled with this new law. Let me know your thoughts and if other states have similar laws.

[Missy]

I don't see it as a big deal, nobody ever HAD to answer the question in the first place and if providing your current salary was the only thing that kept an offer from coming it's not a place you'd want to work.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Lentilcounter]

I just “adjust” the amount anyways to the top-end of the market value for the position/experience and give them that number. 🙂

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[Missy]

I won't adjust a thing, it's none of their business how much someone else paid me. I researched salaries for the location and said for this position I'm looking for xxx.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Tim]

It annoys me when I talk to a recruiter and they tell me that no one will offer me a certain amount because it's too much of a jump from my previous level of pay. So if my previous employer underpaid me, I should just continue getting underpaid for the rest of my career? Screw that, I just won't be honest the next time a recruiter/potential employer asks me what my current salary is. It's not like they can ask for my tax returns.

[Ana]

Whether it solves wage discrepancies is questionable, but being forced to provide prior salaries when in a completely different organization is irrelevant and does nothing for the applicant, only the employer. Many places now even ask for the previous W-2 or paycheck, including government jobs. I'm happy that this legislation will eliminate the process of adjusting numbers, telling employers prior salary is irrelevant or none of their business, and finally getting a straight answer on their range instead of the usual, “depends on the candidate (eye roll).” As a highly compensated executive I still deal with this, potential employers want to poach me by offering my current salary to move…no thanks.

[Anonymous]

And what happens if they do ask you? Do you take 'em to court? No! You LIE!!! If you made $60K at your last job, you tell them you made $70, so they know you're expecting a good $75-80. If they ask for your tax returns, which they won't, then you can probably report them to the labor commission or something and they'll get a fine slapped on them. Nah, fuggedaboudit and just move on.
Articles like this are strictly for laughs.

[Ana]

If they do ask me I'd respond with “smart enough to know better than to answer” just like if they asked any other questions that are illegal, such as sexual orientation, age, religion, etc. Luckily, I'm at a stage where I don't need to lie. Employers need me not the other way around and when I don't like their style I just move on 🙂

[Anonymous]

That must be nice…employers need you but you don't need them. What a perfect world!

There's something called negotiation tactics. I learned in a job seminar long ago that when discussing salary, you always add 10,000$ to whatever you made at your last job.
I just did that 3 months ago before getting hired at the job where I am currently employed. And it worked!

[Author]

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