Hello! I want to ask salary questions when applying to a new company
So I’m currently in the midst of job hunting, and one of the companies I’m applying to is requesting my desired salary while also asking for detailed information about my current salary, including bonuses and other benefits.
The thing is that the company I’m applying to is much larger than my current employer (it might be the biggest in the same industry), and they have offered a significantly higher salary for a similar job in the same division. (This company is Japanese company but with an international environment.)
And despite holding the title of ‘manager’ in my current company, my salary is lower, and the bonuses are almost non-existent, given that it’s a startup and owned by a foreigner.
I’m curious if you have any experience in handling this situation.
Should I provide an honest account of my current salary, or would it be better to slightly exaggerate it? I’m concerned if they will also request my pay slip. Would it be OK to not give it if they ask?
I’m also afraid if I’m being 100% honest, it might influence them to offer a lower salary.
Thank you!
7 comments
[deleted]
at this point you need to decide what you are willing to move for and make it clear to the company. you have to be honest here because as mentioned, they will get your tax slip from last year. if you want, add that you believe you are under paid, but you knew this would be the case cause it was a startup/struggling, blah blah blah, but that you believe you are worth XXX amount of yen. be prepared for the bullshit they try to pull and as I said, be prepared to either accept their offer or walk away. You may get lucky. there are some companies that really will pay what they say and dont care how much you were making.
If you really want to work for this new company then you should be honest with them. There’s no point of lying and it would do more harm than good when things get serious. Given the way you described of the new company it is likely that they already have a number in place and will offer you that regardless of your current salary.
You can’t lie about the current salary, because after you join the company you will need to submit paperwork (源泉徴収票) which mentions your income of the previous financial year.
A little fishy but still workable technique is to round up your income to the closest hundred of man’s. Nobody will come after you if you do that and it won’t be far from your income which you display later.
Otherwise it is all the textbook case: don’t talk about salary and benefits right form the beginning or even at the first interviews, don’t mention your numbers as long as possible, make your counteroffers if they offer you less than you want and finally don’t go for a lower salary.
Your expected salary is your expected salary. If you already know that the potential employer is able to pay you more than you currently get, then that’s what you should shoot for. Do not undervalue yourself. Pay and salary is a negotiation between you and your potential employer. Do not simply think it’s all up to a potential employer to decide your worth. You do not need to disclose your previous earnings to potential employers. They are hiring you for a different job than your current/previous employment and it’s between you and the potential employer to negotiate how much the job is worth on either side of the table.
Are you talking directly, or via a recruiter?
If at all possible, I would try to keep the conversation to your desired salary. Might depend on how far you are prepared to play hardball though.
Unfortunately Japanese companies are really annoying about this. They will do everything they can to find out your current salary and lowball you.
If you are desperate for the position you will likely have to tell them your current; if you are confident that they need to hire you just brazen it out.
I will always remember one of my first jobs, working on a magazine, the standard pay was maybe like 15 british pence per word of writing. My boss tapped up a relatively nichely famous writer to write a column every month. And that writer asked for 1 british pound per word. And ended up being paid 80 pence. For years, all of us on the magazine were both gobsmacked that 1 pound per word was the going rate for proper writers, but also we all thought we had got a great deal to get this great writer on our magazine.
Cut to the future, when we were all friends and out drinking, and it turned out that this famous writer’s usual rate was 15 british pence, but he figured if you don’t ask you don’t get.
I guess my point is; if you can, brazen it out. If they really want you they will pay you accordingly. But Japanese companies will try to force your hand.
I would be honest or just give a range. If you lie they will find out when they collect tax info in the onboarding. If you explain like you have, I think you can be up front with the range of salary you can accept, if they can’t do it any good company would let you know upfront and not waste both your time.