[Anonymous]

I received an offer from a big 4 firm, and had a general question of the salary that I said I currently made at my current job.

Let’s just say, for arguments sake, that I currently make 50,000 at my current firm. However, I was promoted mid year with no raise, and was told that my work from January to October without a raise would be considered at my yearly review date. Thus, I took this into consideration when telling the prospective employer my current salary. I also included a conservative year end bonus I normally receive at my current firm.

Thus, like before let’s say I make 50,000, included a raise of 8% (which I felt was conservative), as well as the year end bonus of 2%. So I told them I made 55,000.

Will this come back to bite me if I do not disclose the facts of my stated salary before I accept the offer, or should I just wait and explain it if the topic comes up in the future.

Thanks for the responses

[WaivingMyHands_ALOT]

People lie about their salary all the time in negotiations. Only way I would think it can come back to bite you is if they view you as “too expensive” and don't hire you. But it seems like you are being more than reasonable. Depending on which city you live in, big four starting salary for inexperienced hire is in the $50-$55K range (more if you are in a crazy expensive city like NY).

Being an experienced hire, I think you are fine saying your salary is $55K

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[cpagal]

You are fine. They can't ask about your salary without your permission in the form of a signature on a document specifically stating that your former company can release your salary history. Whenever someone applies for a loan at a bank and they have to verify with the employer, this is how it is done. No signature, no information. The HR department knows that.

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[tcheney3]

You will be fine. I would just ensure for future reference to always be straightforward in job applications and interviews.

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[spikesrd]

Personally, I don't think anyone's current salary should play a part in salary negotiations. Firms should simply state what they are willing to pay for a position and be done with it. Why would I place myself at a disadvantage by laying all of my cards on the table when negotiating? Especially in a situation where I feel like my current compensation doesn't match the level of value I am providing to the company.

In short, I think you did what any of us would do.

“The reward for work well-done is more work.”

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[Gatorbates]

For what it's worth, 8% is not, DEFINITELY NOT a conservative % for a raise.

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[Anonymous]

Don't ever tell a prospective employer your current salary. For starters, that gives them legal grounds to confirm your salary history with current and previous employers, and if you've lied about it, yes, it will likely bite you in the ass (to the extent that you won't get hired and may be blackballed within that industry, if it's close-knit). Secondly, it gives them all the power in the negotiation.

Even if you are responding to a job posting that says “Resumes without salary history will not be considered,” don't put your salary history on there. They'll either call you for an interview or they won't, but such heavy-handedness with people who are not even on the payroll is probably an indicator that they don't respect their employees anyway.

If they ask, tell them your salary expectations are in line with the market value of the position, and leave it at that. As long as you are not being completely unreasonable in what you're asking for (e.g. “I know this is just a staff accountant role, but I'm looking for $85k.”), you'll be fine. It is absolutely none of their business what you currently earn, and it should have no bearing on what they are willing to pay you, provided you meet all the requirements for the role. What you need to do is some research on what people in your market are earning for the same role and then figure out, based on how your education, experience, etc., stack up with the average, how far above or below the salary median you think you should reasonably be.

P.S. If a prospective employer has the gall to ask you to bring a pay stub or W-2 from your current/previous job to the interview, GTFO. The only way companies are going to stop pulling this garbage is for people to stop playing ball with them. I repeat, it is absolutely none of their business.

[Anonymous]

CaseyTX has to be my favorite poster on this forum.

[Anonymous]

@gator I definitely understand that 8% is not “conservative”, per se, but at my firm the raise you get the promotion leriod after you pass the exam is usually much higher than the yearly raise you get for Inflationary reasons

[Anonymous]

@casey so given my situation would you disclose the situation and make it clear why I gave the particular salary that I did considering I did say a salary?

[Anonymous]

I've always regretted not asking for more coming in. If they interview and they like you, chances are they'd try to negotiate your salary down rather than outright reject you, unless you're so far out of the ballpark and there's another candidate to compete with. I've been hired so many times making half what my replacement ended up making, and places often have to hire two people to do my job after I've gone.

[Anonymous]

I would not bring it up again. You've already made a mistake in being the first one to name a figure (and don't kick yourself in the ass about it … a lot of younger employees do this because they think it's normal and reasonable for a company to ask for this info. Just don't do it again.) Don't make it worse by explaining.

But you did not make a mistake in padding your salary with the raise/bonus you'd expect to get if you stayed. That's a completely reasonable thing to do, as is tacking on the dollar value of any benefits you currently have that the prospective employer isn't offering. As a prospective employer, I'd be concerned about your decision-making skills if you DIDN'T do that. I mean, you're an accountant. You're supposed to have some level of knowledge of the time value of money.

I figure most companies expect people to do this sort of thing, so unless you're strolling in there, claiming to be pulling down manager money as a staffer, I doubt they're going to make an issue of it. If they ask, tell them you feel that the amounts you would be giving up are valid in the discussion of salary expectations. That's 100% true, and if they want to blow you off for having the audacity to think for yourself, well, there are better jobs in the ocean.

[Anonymous]

@Big4orNah – What's done is done, personally I don't think I'd draw further attention. If they hammer you for it, own it and move on.

[mw798]

Just an fyi, as a hiring manager myself, lying about your salary is grounds for withdrawing an offer. Once you give a salary number that is recorded and depending on the company they may or may not verify your salary. So it's a risky game, you can't change your answer once you have given it and if they request that your salary be verified you are pretty much done.

Another fyi, each of the Big 4 firms participates in and uses a company called The Work Number which provides employment verification and salary verification. My company uses this same service as well as the vast majority of Fortune 500 firms. Another background firm commonly used is HireRight. If your current company participates in either of these two services, the Big 4 can pull your salary history.

As for most companies expecting candidates to lie about their current salary and its no big deal, that is bad advice. My company has specific guidelines stating that if a salary number during the verification process does not match what was stated by the candidate that an offer be immediately withdrawn. Considering you are applying to a Big 4 firm which pride themselves on ethics, I would assume they would have a similar policy.

[mw798]

Also, not sure why you would lie about your current salary to the Big 4. The Big 4 generally has pretty set salaries so that there is not much variation among it's staffers. It doesn't matter if you are making $50k or $55k, your offer is not going to be different most likely. All you did was just introduce a lot of risk.

[Anonymous]

Q. What if I do not want The Work Number to give out any information about me for any purpose?

A. The Work Number Client Service Center can change a setting to block all verification requests about

you. Contact them Monday thru Friday, 7a.m. – 8p.m. at 1-800-996-7566 (Voice) or 1-800-424-0253 (TTY

– Deaf).

I did this awhile back when the FTC was investigating Equifax. It's scary stuff.

[Author]

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