I think my current low pay is keeping me from getting a much higher paying job. (employment, contractor)

[Tarzanman]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

Most companies do verify salary now-a-days which is why it is better to just steer the conversation toward what you are expecting to make.

I agree with other posters though in that most won't ask you your current salary. I have also interviewed a lot of people and I never ask them what they make and I never tell them the salary of the job as I am in agreement with what was mentioned - you negotiate that after an offer.

I've never heard of that happening. How can a company verify your salary? Does ADP give that information out?

[OuiOui]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

I'm surprised you're making so little in the Tech field. I'm looking for jobs here in Atlanta, Seattle, D.C., and Boston and even here in Atlanta, the lowest I've been seeing is around 55k-60k a year for a Entry level Software engineer.

I feel like tech-related salaries are lower in Atlanta compared to other cities. Entry level developers start around 35k. But if the OP has been in the field for years, I agree that he should definitely be making more than that! "Tech" is becoming somewhat of a broad category nowadays, so I'm sure it depends on what exactly your skills are. Perhaps software engineers have a higher starting salary than other tech jobs? Because 55-60k for entry level is definitely not the average.

[helena101]

Originally Posted by Tarzanman

I've never heard of that happening. How can a company verify your salary? Does ADP give that information out?

Usually on the application it'll ask if they can contact your current and former employers. If you say no, they shouldn't contact them. But you probably want to at least say that they can contact your former employers as it could seems suspicious if you don't want anyone contacted.

[Larry X]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

I'm surprised you're making so little in the Tech field. I'm looking for jobs here in Atlanta, Seattle, D.C., and Boston and even here in Atlanta, the lowest I've been seeing is around 55k-60k a year for a Entry level Software engineer.

My job is based in Cincinnati, they are contractors for other hugh companies, currently our main contract is with GE. I came in at a time when they had just won a contract bid by bidding the lowest, in other words charging the least theirfore they will pay the least, they went on a hiring spree (we still don't have enough employees.). At the time I was a contractor for another company. I took this job because it was a permanent position with your typical benefits (which I didn't have as a contractor) and I was able to work remotely allowing me to move back hear which I wanted to do. The plan was to look for a higher paying job down here once I've been their a year, so here I am.

[Nast]

Also, be patient. If it has only been a week or two and you haven't heard back, don't be discouraged. It's more than likely you have just spoken with the initial HR screener. They are just putting everyone who meets a specific profile into a bucket, and will often wait until they hit a certain threshold of qualified applicants before moving you along to the next step. I just recently received an offer with a company that I first approached me back in October. That's six months even though the I and the hiring manager were highly motivated to make something happen. While it seems on your end that even a day or two without some type of communication signifies a lack of interest, it really just means that the HR wheels are turning very slowly. The larger the company, the slower they seem to turn.

Also, when the question comes up, be honest and tell them. They have ways of finding out anyway, and trust me, they will remember if they catch you in a lie. In the majority of cases within business these days, your earning potential with a single employer is always going to be pegged to the salary you accept when you first entered. The days of decent annual pay increases are over, and many employees have become conditioned to be happy with a 1-2% COLA increase. Changing companies every 3-4 years is the main way of making sure to maximize your earning potential, so people are going to expect that you are looking for a decent increase when making a move.

[Tarzanman]

Originally Posted by helena101

Usually on the application it'll ask if they can contact your current and former employers. If you say no, they shouldn't contact them. But you probably want to at least say that they can contact your former employers as it could seems suspicious if you don't want anyone contacted.

I always say 'no' to that question. Seems stupid to let your current employer know that you're out job hunting

[Larry X]

A lot of good information in here. Thanks so much everyone!

[jhtrico1850]

Originally Posted by afdinatl

Damn...I didn't know they verify your salary


Disregard my advice then

Yeah, we need someone to just delete your bad advice.

As an aside, I think I had to submit some application listing salary history AFTER the interview, but before the offer. If you don't want to be honest or disclose, there are plenty of people that will.

If you're looking at a ratchet job like McDonald's they probably don't care or don't verify, but in the corporate jobs, they will.

[lovely40]

My last employer used E-Verify. While working there, I had access to the application so I ran it on myself because I was curious. It showed my entire work history and complete salary information. So, yes they can find out. Just spare yourself the headache and give a range when negotiating pay.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Larry X

A lot of good information in here. Thanks so much everyone!

This is a good thread with lots of good information. Thanks for starting it, Larry.

Hope your job search goes well! Hang tough and make them pay you what you are worth.