Q. How Do I Handle an Online Application When It Asks for Salary Requirements?

I advise you to avoid the whole discussion of salary expectations until you talk with someone on the hiring team and have a conversation about it. Unfortunately, many companies do not make that possible. 

Some employers want to know about salary expectations at the start of the recruitment process. They have set up their online employment applications to gather this information. They do this because they are using salary requirements as a factor in screening for fit. If salary information is a required field, then you will have no choice but to answer the question before the application can be submitted. 

So what do you do?

Try to answer the question without answering it.

So, if the application is requesting an exact number, try entering all zeros. If that doesn't work, try all ones (just be careful if the position is an hourly rate and all ones give you $11.11 or an amount that may be consistent with what the job actually pays). You want a number that the human reader will know is fake but will not automatically exclude you from further review (which is why I would stay away from all nines).

Sometimes, the application will ask for a range. Likely this will be a dropdown. If the ranges are broad, and you are comfortable that your specific requirements are in the middle of the range, go ahead and use it. If you are unsure, then pick the lowest range offered. The application is likely used for all positions within a company, so unless the job is at the lowest level paid, the human reader will know that this is not a true salary range for you since it will be significantly below market. 

If you are not upfront about answering the question, will this potentially hurt you? It is possible. But in my experience as a recruiter, what is most important is to find the best-qualified person for the job. Recruiters know that asking about salary requirements is a needed part of their job but that it is also a game that employers and candidates play to see who can negotiate the best terms. If you are well qualified for the position but do not want to disclose your salary requirements in the application, someone from the company will likely reach out to speak with you. Just be prepared to get asked this question when they do and have a response prepared at that time.

Q. Can I Be Asked about My Previous Salary?

Asking about previous salary information was often standard practice for employers. They wanted to know what the person was currently making (or previously) to gauge then what they should pay that individual. If the candidate made $50k at their previous job, then some employers would offer a lateral move, a small increase, or a more considerable increase (but not usually top of the range), depending on the job market conditions at the time.

The problem with this was compensation was predicated on what you made previously and not what you were worth in the market. This especially hurt women and minorities, who often started their careers at lower salaries and would get less for promotions or job moves than their white male peers. This practice perpetuated wage disparity.

To address this, some states and municipalities in the US have disallowed salary history questions. As of December 2020, 27 states, plus the District of Columbia, have some sort of ban from employers asking about salary history. Sometimes the ban only applies to specific types of businesses, such as government entities, so please check your state's requirements. In Canada, Ontario passed a prohibition on asking salary history. Many countries do not have any laws that address asking this question.

So if you are in an area that does not disallow it, and the employer asks you this question, what should you do? First, you might try to speak to your salary requirements instead. 

"The salary range for someone with my experience, knowledge, and skills is ___ to ____. I would expect to be paid within that range."

If you get pressed to answer your salary range, you might try to respectfully ascertain why this information is vital to any decision they would make about salary.

"I am a bit uncomfortable answering that question. Can I ask why you need this information?"

Then you can have a conversation about whether that information is relevant to what the company should pay you. 

If you get pushed to provide an answer, do not lie. They could ask for a pay stub or some proof. If you feel you must give a number but also feel like this could result in a below-market offer, you can say the following.

"I made ___ at my current/previous job. As I said before, my research shows that the range in the current market for someone with my background, skills, and experience is ____. I know that the company will want to pay me fairly, so I expect any offer that the company makes would be in that range. I would be delighted to work here." 

By doing this, you are signaling that you will not accept an offer if it is not in the range you stated.

More and more companies are starting to omit this question from the interview process. Hopefully, soon, asking about salary history will be a thing of the past.

 Q. How Do I Handle Requests for Salary Requirements in a Cover Letter?

Though this type of request occurs less often now (mostly because many employers do not want to have to review cover letters additionally), you may see this on occasion. First, do not provide this information voluntarily if submitting a cover letter. It is much better to have any conversation about salary requirements with the individual in person, over the phone, or in a virtual interview, when you can have a conversation about this and the ability to ask questions or provide context to your answer.

It usually works to your disadvantage to bring salary up first. The only time that you might want to do this is if you will not make a move, in any circumstance, for less than a certain amount. Then, you want this employer to be aware, so if this is not realistic, you will not have wasted any of your time interviewing. This would only apply in very rare cases.

So how should you handle an explicit ask for salary requirements? There are two ways to approach this. One is to include a statement that your requirements are flexible and dependent on the total compensation package, including benefits. Another tact would be to say that you are willing to discuss salary requirements at the time of an interview. You are addressing the request but are not providing a specific answer. 

If the directions are explicit that a number needs to be provided or your application will not move forward, take these directions seriously. You have to give some indication of what salary you are desiring. If you do not want to provide a number (or do not have a fixed number), you can give a salary range. This should suffice to give this employer the information they desire.

For more information on how to negotiate salary, please read How to Answer the Dreaded Salary Question.

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume preparation, interview skills assessment, or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.