Dear Sam: How do I respond to a salary history request? I’ve been told to include a separate page with my resume stating my salary with each employer. What do you suggest? – Confused
Dear Confused: When including a salary history, I typically place it on the resume itself. Some suggest including a separate piece of paper, but my theory is that it is best to try and sell your candidacy before your salary history is reviewed. If your salary history is on a separate piece of paper, it could be looked at first, and be the sole factor used in disqualifying you. If your salaries are spread throughout your resume (beneath or beside your titles) the screener is sure to glean some of your “value” before they see what you were compensated. To do this you would write your resume as per usual, but beside or beneath each of your job titles you would place your salary information. This would look like:
Company Name, City, State
Title (Year-Year) | Salary: $50,000 + 10% Bonus
Be sure to indicate if your salary included bonuses, commissions, etc. so the hiring manager has a clear picture of your total compensation package. Sometimes I will italicize this data to make it a little harder to read, especially when I feel a candidate’s compensation package is not reflective of industry norms or their current needs.
