In Defense of Salary History

[Chris Frederick Willis <ChrisOp -at- AOL -dot- COM>]

I agree that salary requirements should not be the defining issue regarding
whether a candidate should be considered for a position. However, as someone
who is currently invovled in the interviewing process, I understand the
frustration that leads to asking for salary history in a resume cover letter.

I'm seeking candidates to fulfill a long term, in-house contract to author
online help systems in the client's West Michigan corporate office. The
technical market in this area is booming, and the skilled talent pool is
shallow. The fact that this client wants the people in-house precludes me
from staffing with telecommuters.

Because of this, I am seeking to hire key people with online help/tech
writing experience, then round out the team with entry/mid level people who
can be brought up to speed as they gain skills and experience.  Obviously, I
can afford to offer those with the proper skill set a higher salary than
those who will require coaching and grooming.

I've talked to a number of people, each approaching the project from a
different angle. I've sat accross the table from a fine writer with a
journalism background who doesn't even know what hypertext is but wants to
start at a minimum of $40K a year. I've talked with a marketing writer who
says that she's interested in learning these skills but can't work for less
than $40/hr. It's frustrating to spend time interviewing someone, thinking
they might be a fine addition to the team, only to find out that their
expectations don't match their skill in this area. Add to this the fact that
they might find that they don't even ENJOY authoring online help in the long
run, and the risk is simply too great to bet a higher wage.

I'm not interested in playing games. And I'm also not interested in bleeding
others dry to make a "killing" for myself. I want to build a dedicated team
of talented writers who enjoy coming to work and feel fairly compensated at
the end of the day. This means something different to every person who sends
a resume. However, it's fairly obvious that someone who is used to making $50
K per year in a related field is not going to be happy for long at $30 K per
year in an entry level position. I'm willing to work with these people if
they will work with me. However, if someone's not willing to bet that they
can come up to speed and make themselves worth a higher wage in the long run,
why should I? It's a waste of each of our time to even proceed with an
interview.

Therein lies the value of the salary history.

Chris Willis
Media 1
Michigan, USA

ChrisOp -at- aol -dot- com