I’m quitting my part time job and getting another. I’m filling out a job application for a place I really like, and ran into a hiccup. They ask my starting and ending salary for my current job, and I have no idea. I recieved a performance based raise in July, but the Union couldn’t settle on a contract by then, so I continued to be paid minimum wage with the understanding that I would be retroactively paid my raise starting July 1 whenever the Union agrees on pay. I don’t find out how much that raise is until the Union negotiates the contract. It is now two and a half months later, and I’m still drawing minimum wage. So I have no idea how to answer this question, as I don’t actually know what I’m technically making right now. I’m worried that if I just say minimum wage, it will look like I didn’t get a performance based raise and am a substandard employee, and if I say unknown, I’ll sound stupid.
You should avoid answering that question if you can possibly do so.
They should pay you based on a fair wage for the work they are offering, not try and low ball you based on what you were making before.
If you know what your pay rate would be with the raise, you should provide that if you must.
Put “willing to discuss” instead of a number.
This question isn’t just a ploy to low ball you. It’s to see if you and the employer are even in the same ballpark in terms of expectations.
An employer won’t bother to make a job offer if you’re expecting $200/hr, and they typically pay $12-15/hr.
Just put down a REASONABLE salary figure.
You could try “prevailing union wage for Local X.”
I’d estimate it. Put something like “approximately $xx/hour, pending union contract settlement.”
What @Scipio said. Excellent solution.
I also like techmom99’s solution. Is this an online form or a hand-written application? Is there any place to add comments? If there is a place to add comments, I would probably put “See comments” in the salary box, and then write something like “Started at minimum wage, offered performance based raise in July 2016, current salary pending union contract settlement.” If it’s hand-written, maybe you could squeeze that in between lines.
I honestly only look at the salary requirements to see if we are in the ballpark. My jobs have a range that they pay and I don’t use that information to figure out my job offers. If someone writes down a salary amount that is way out of line but they have solid experience and skill set then I typically will ask my HR team to at least call and validate the salary information and see how negotiable they are. If its not a fit then its not a fit and I move on to the next candidate.
If there is a place to add a comment then I would probably put your making minimum wage pending the outcome of Union negotiations. Usually, anyone who has hired someone from a union environment will understand how those contracts work and how wages are impacted.