Salary History Questions in Job Interviews: Know Your Rights
Job seekers may not be required to disclose their current salary during interviews. Experts outline how to handle the question.
Being asked about your current salary during a job interview is one of the most common — and potentially consequential — moments in the hiring process. Yet many applicants are unaware that they may have the legal right to decline answering, depending on where they live and who is hiring them.
Experts advise that disclosing your current pay can put job seekers at a disadvantage, effectively anchoring future salary negotiations to past earnings rather than to the market value of the new role. This can perpetuate wage gaps, particularly for women and minority workers who may already be underpaid relative to their peers.
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In response to these concerns, a growing number of U.S. states and cities have enacted salary history ban laws that prohibit employers from asking candidates about prior compensation. Where such laws are in effect, applicants can legally decline to provide the information without fear of disqualifying themselves from consideration.
For job seekers in jurisdictions without such protections, experts recommend redirecting the conversation toward expected salary rather than current pay. Framing a response around industry benchmarks and the responsibilities of the target role — rather than personal pay history — can help candidates maintain leverage during negotiations.
Understanding the rules that apply in your location and preparing a confident, practiced response before walking into an interview room can make a significant difference in the final compensation offer a candidate receives. Continue reading at BBC News.
