The Underpaid Job Seeker's Advantage

When faced with a job posting requiring the submission of salary history, most job seekers are caught between a rock and a hard place.

But if you were underpaid in your last job, given the level of responsibility, accomplishment and experience you had achieved, that job posting could represent your golden opportunity. In fact you may actually have an advantage over job seekers who earn more (assuming relatively equal qualifications).

In discussing strategies to deal with a request for salary history , I've seen advice from others that state "you risk being eliminated from consideration if your salary is too low". I question the validity of this assertion.

Based on my experience the possibility that your candidacy will be eliminated because your previous salary is below market rates is extremely remote. In fact, during my 17 years as a hiring professional and in working with a wide variety of companies and industries I personally have never known this to happen.

Think about this situation from the hiring manager's point of view. Human nature being what it is, when the hiring manager sees a combination of good skills and low pay she's thinking, "Wow. This candidate seems to have everything I'm looking for and I might get a bargain!"

Do you think it's likely that an invitation to interview will follow? I do.

That's not to say you'll never be eliminated if your salary is too low. Hiring, with all the variables involved, is such a random process that anything is possible. But the probability is miniscule. So the weight this possibility carries in the decision making process should be equally small.

What to Consider

• The possibility of receiving a low ball offer. (Read that as being in a weakened negotiating position.)

  vs.

• The probable advantage you have over other more equitably compensated candidates.

  vs.

• The possibility of being eliminated from consideration if you don't follow instructions and forward compensation history.

When you think of it this way, it's almost no contest. It's possible to mitigate the risk of a low ball offer to the point where it's outweighed by your high value/(perceived) low price advantage. And if revealing your salary history is going to help you, why would you withhold the information?

To head off a low ball offer begin by highlighting your accomplishments and strengths in your customized cover letter. This will position you for the interview.

Then negotiate salary successfully by going into the interview knowing what you are worth in the open market (based on your research). Demonstrate how your accomplishments and experience can be used to accomplish the hiring manager's objectives. And follow basic interviewing tactics by not bringing up the salary subject first.

You could also take a page from Elizabeth's play book and position your previous lower pay rate as the 'price' of your education.

One final thought, if your last employer is notorious for underpaying its work force this kind of information has a tendency to become general knowledge within specific industries. That can work in your favor too.

The bottom line? The underpaid job seeker is in the best possible position when it comes to job postings that require submission of salary history along with your resume. Consider all your options and make an informed decision that's right for you.

If you're curious here's how others have dealt with this situation.