“What is your current salary?” 

The dreaded question! Also, a question that may perpetuate gender inequality in pay, as an unfair salary could follow a woman from job to job throughout her career. Luckily, politicians caught onto this and have started banning questions on previous pay – salary history inquiry bans.

What are salary history inquiry bans? 
These laws prevent companies from asking interviewees about their past salaries.

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“THIS BILL PROVIDES A MEANS OF NARROWING THE WAGE GAP BY MAKING IT LESS LIKELY FOR EMPLOYERS TO UNINTENTIONALLY PERPETUATE THE GAP BY BASING SALARY OFFERS FOR NEW HIRES ON THEIR PREVIOUS SALARY.”

– New Jersey Assemblywoman Joann Downey

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Does the salary inquiry ban apply to me?
Unfortunately we do not have a federal ban (yet), but many states and even cities have enacted their own laws. To determine if this applies to you, check out Salary.com’s helpful list of where the ban has been enacted.

What do I say if the interviewer asks a salary question?
Many companies are now asking what you would expect to make. If you have already done your research, you can toss out your target. If not – or if that is uncomfortable for you – simply say, “I expect to be paid the market value for the skills and experience I bring to the role.” If they push further, I recommend gracefully redirecting them with: “I need to do more research before I can answer that question, however, my first priority is being a high performer in this role, so I did want to ask…. (what do top performers at this company have in common/what are your top priorities/etc.)” 

That’s all I have for you today! If you have further questions or would like additional support, please let us know!