In a message dated 97-05-03 15:15:32 EDT, [log in to unmask] (Larisa Overmier)
writes:

> Assistant Museum Exhibit/Program Developer <snip>
>  Resumes should include salary history.

I'm sure I will regret re-opening this can of worms, and please do not flame
me, but...
In the multitudes of discussions regarding museum position advertisements, I
do not recall the issue of "salary history" being attacked. I, for one, am
not comfortable disclosing my previous salary to a potential future employer
not b/c I consider it to be a private matter, but for the following reasons:
I have taken jobs which have paid ridiculously low salaries (as we all have)
simply b/c I either believed in the project or I needed the experience
offered. In those cases, I have usually had to work a second job, in many
cases, full time. And depending on where the job is located, what I was
making in one position might be lower or higher than in another part of the
country. And, let's not forget that as one moves up the ladder, acquiring
more expereince, one's worth, in terms of dollars, also increases.

So, the question is - why do employers want to know my salary history? Is it
not my choice to accept or reject an offered salary, depending on my personal
needs? Is it an employer's intention to reject me b/c I've made too much
money in a previous position? Or, if I have performed X duties at X salary
and the employer was planning to offer a much higher salary than I was making
before, will they then reduce their offer? And finally, if I refuse to
furnish my previous salaries, am I automatically rejected for consideration?
Any insights? BTW, I am not in any way attacking the messenger here, the post
just made me question the issue.

- Adrienne