Young Professional Question

"Why do recruiters ask me what my last salary was? Will answering this question honestly hurt my chances of receiving a higher pay?" -- Ronda D.

Here is the whole process in a nutshell in regards to salaries:

1. We need to know what a candidate is making at their current position or was making at their last position. Why? Every candidate is different, for example - I've had candidates with Cpas and 10-15 years experience that were each making two totally different salaries. One was making 50k and the other was making around double. I've had office managers/bookkeepers who have had the same experience, making 30k/60k. So we need to know where they are at the current moment because we can't assume anything just based on experience.

2. We like to know a minimum salary a candidate would take. Why? A minimum salary is always a plus to know, even if it isn't what a candidate desires, it still puts them in the run for a position if they are interested, as opposed to not considering them if it's only, say, $2,000 away.

3. We like to know what desired salary the would want to pursue. Why? Obviously, what you want to make is either at least what your making now or higher. Most candidates may be comfortable with a lateral move, but their preferences are usually higher. This is also a really huge plus to know, for this instance. Example - You desire $65k and a client has a position open that is for your ideal role, but only paying up to $60k. In this case, we would submit your resume to the client and let them know up front that you want $65k. Even though we know the salary is up to $60k maximim, there is a great chance that if the client likes your resume and experience, they would bump up the salary to $65k just to see you take the position (I've done this before and placed candidates).

So, our attempts to get the candidate more money are not based on our "commissions", they are based on getting you what you are happy with and desire. We negotiate for you, but we negotiate in your favor. We are the middle man, so we communicate with you every single step of the way.

Anthony Prano, Direct-Hire Accounting Recruiter
aprano@thedubingroup.com