So.....how do I go about getting a more diverse team?

[Sheilbh]

I've only been asked that by recruiters. Same with salary expectations.

[Habbaku]

Do people in the US say what they make now before they've heard an offer?

It's a very common question to be asked during the interview process. The best response is typically a vague range with maybe a little inflation rather than a direct amount.

Yeah, seems weird to give away that kind of information in a business negotiation. And you're not only giving away information about yourself, you're also giving away information about your current employer, which isn't really a classy thing to do.

Agreed on all fronts, though it should be noted that the more progressive employers are beginning to avoid that sort of question. One job I applied for recently made an explicit acknowledgement of their commitment to avoiding bias by expressly stating that they will not ask current/previous compensation. I thought that was pretty impressive.

[DGuller]

Do people in the US say what they make now before they've heard an offer?

It's a very common question to be asked during the interview process. The best response is typically a vague range with maybe a little inflation rather than a direct amount.

You may be required to submit proof of the current salary before getting an offer.  Yes, obviously that's an abuse of potential employer's negotiating power, but that's what the situation is sometimes.

[Berkut]

WEll, to be fair, a lot of times it is just a short cut to avoid wasting everyones time.

I was interviewing someone last month, and she was freaking awesome. Great experience, lots of skills we desperately needed. My peer interviewed her, my boss interviewed her, then I interviewed her. At the end of my interview, the salary issue came up, and she said what she would like, and what she would need to consider the position.

That number was nearly double my own salary.

Kind of wish we had gotten that deal breaker out of the way a lot earlier.

[Tamas]

Do people in the US say what they make now before they've heard an offer?

In the UK you are expected to tell them that before you even talk to anyone, or at the latest when the recruiter calls you.

[merithyn]

I always give a range of what I'll need with the least amount that I'll take at the 30% level of that range. When they ask what I make now, I defer to answer, for the reason that Berkut mentioned. I'm not giving anyone an opportunity to pay me at a lower range. All they need to know is what I'm willing to accept, not what my current salary is.

[The Brain]

WEll, to be fair, a lot of times it is just a short cut to avoid wasting everyones time.

I was interviewing someone last month, and she was freaking awesome. Great experience, lots of skills we desperately needed. My peer interviewed her, my boss interviewed her, then I interviewed her. At the end of my interview, the salary issue came up, and she said what she would like, and what she would need to consider the position.

That number was nearly double my own salary.

Kind of wish we had gotten that deal breaker out of the way a lot earlier.

How did what she made at her present job come up?

[The Brain]

Do people in the US say what they make now before they've heard an offer?

In the UK you are expected to tell them that before you even talk to anyone, or at the latest when the recruiter calls you.

What do they say when the answer is "because of an NDA I cannot tell you"?

And a more general point: how often do you interview for a job that is exactly like the one you already have? A current job may or may not have anything at all to do with the job the person is interviewing for.

[The Larch]

WEll, to be fair, a lot of times it is just a short cut to avoid wasting everyones time.

I was interviewing someone last month, and she was freaking awesome. Great experience, lots of skills we desperately needed. My peer interviewed her, my boss interviewed her, then I interviewed her. At the end of my interview, the salary issue came up, and she said what she would like, and what she would need to consider the position.

That number was nearly double my own salary.

Kind of wish we had gotten that deal breaker out of the way a lot earlier.

Why didn't your company publish as part of the job description the salary that the position would offer? If she had known from the beginning she wouldn't have even applied, saving everyone plenty of time. I never knew why the onus is always put on the potential employee to offer the initial number and then barter from that starting point.

[Caliga]

Do people in the US say what they make now before they've heard an offer?

This is starting to become illegal in the United States, actually.  It is now illegal in Illinois, for example (a law banning the practice went into effect last year).  I think it might be illegal in California now too?

[Berkut]

WEll, to be fair, a lot of times it is just a short cut to avoid wasting everyones time.

I was interviewing someone last month, and she was freaking awesome. Great experience, lots of skills we desperately needed. My peer interviewed her, my boss interviewed her, then I interviewed her. At the end of my interview, the salary issue came up, and she said what she would like, and what she would need to consider the position.

That number was nearly double my own salary.

Kind of wish we had gotten that deal breaker out of the way a lot earlier.

Why didn't your company publish as part of the job description the salary that the position would offer? If she had known from the beginning she wouldn't have even applied, saving everyone plenty of time. I never knew why the onus is always put on the potential employee to offer the initial number and then barter from that starting point.

Got me, but that is very, very rarely done.

In this case, she was referred to us by someone else anyway, not in response to a specific job posting.

[Tamas]

Why didn't your company publish as part of the job description the salary that the position would offer? If she had known from the beginning she wouldn't have even applied, saving everyone plenty of time. I never knew why the onus is always put on the potential employee to offer the initial number and then barter from that starting point.

Because they are the ones with less leverage and in a weaker position. So this is exploited by being vague with the salary they can expect and wanting to learn what they earn. I guess from a business point of view this is solid practice in squeezing every penny out of your new hires. Morally is questionable of course.

[Iormlund]

I addition making the salary public might cause problems with current employees who make less doing the same thing.

[The Larch]

WEll, to be fair, a lot of times it is just a short cut to avoid wasting everyones time.

I was interviewing someone last month, and she was freaking awesome. Great experience, lots of skills we desperately needed. My peer interviewed her, my boss interviewed her, then I interviewed her. At the end of my interview, the salary issue came up, and she said what she would like, and what she would need to consider the position.

That number was nearly double my own salary.

Kind of wish we had gotten that deal breaker out of the way a lot earlier.

Why didn't your company publish as part of the job description the salary that the position would offer? If she had known from the beginning she wouldn't have even applied, saving everyone plenty of time. I never knew why the onus is always put on the potential employee to offer the initial number and then barter from that starting point.

Got me, but that is very, very rarely done.

In this case, she was referred to us by someone else anyway, not in response to a specific job posting.

Ok, if it was not a job posting and a referal instead then I can see it how it proceeded that way, but maybe the subject should have been touched upon earlier in the process then.

[chipwich]

Got me,

You seem like a pretty crummy recruiter.