Salary history...

Should You Include Your Salary History in Your Resume? There are various pros and cons to listing your salary history in your resume. While it does provide a base figure for employers to know what you generally would expect, it also means that it is likely that an employer may strike your name from the list of candidates simply because your salary requirements are too high and they are unwilling to meet it. The conventional school of thought is that if possible, it is better to allow the employer to raise the question of re numeration first. Still, many times in job listings salary history is requested, in which case it is normally completely acceptable to list it in your resume. However at the same time it would probably be a good idea to not be too specific concerning your previous salaries. The simplest way to do this is to supply ranges rather than figures. For example, when writing your salary history, if your previous yearly earnings were ,800, then write "Salary Range: ,000-,000". The good thing about supplying a range rather than a definitive figure is that it implies a certain amount of flexibility.

Cover Letter Mentions of Salary History: Another way to tackle the dreaded question of salary history is to write it all up in your cover letter. This way you can be sure to not only fulfill the employers requirement of including a salary history, but you can add a commentary to it, including of course mention of how flexible you are, and what you would be expecting from your prospective job. This can be a very good approach as it can open the lines of communication for a discussion into your salary, and it lets employers know that you are aware of your self worth but at the same time are willing to negotiate. The one thing to keep in mind when writing a salary history and mentioning future earnings is to have a good idea of what your own market value is. There are various Internet sites which facilitate this kind of calculations based on your past experience, qualifications, and other factors.

Using Your Salary History as an Example: As mentioned previously, discussing your salary history in a cover letter can give raise to discussions about your salary future. During these discussions, it is important to use your salary history as an example for what you would be expecting. For instance, compare the situations in which you would be willing to accept a lower salary, like if you were moving from a city with a higher cost of living to a city (and new job) where things were cheaper. Normally your salary would be reduced slightly as a result, and it is important to let employers know that you are comfortable with this.

A Sample of Utilizing Salary History: The simplest of salary history samples in a cover letter can simply be a few lines of discussion. One such simple sample would be something like: "Although I was earning around at my past job, I would be happy to negotiate based on this jobs workload and the total compensation package offered. I am very flexible in terms of my salary requirement."