Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What do I say about salary history?

I have two questions about salary history. First, what should I put in a cover letter when the job ad says to include salary history? Second, what if an employer asks me in an interview about my salary history? I’ve only had unpaid internships and I feel dumb saying “I have no salary history.”

1 comment:

USDCareerBlog said...

We get this question a lot.

First - Be honest (this is always sound advice in the job search). Recruiters who hire entry level college students are aware that many traditional-age college students have only had low-paying part-time and summer jobs, and internships (paid or unpaid). So it will not be held against you if your only work experience was unpaid or minimum wage.

Just tell the employer exactly how much you made – or explain that since you have been a full-time college student up to this point, you don’t have any relevant salary history.

What you don’t want to do is ignore the question. Some employers will toss applications from candidates who do not address salary history in their cover letters when requested to do so. And emphasize how much valuable “real-world” experience you garnered in all your past jobs and internships.