Adrienne,

It has always been my policy to simply ignore any request for salary
history.  No harm has come my way because of it.  My suspicion is that if a
job listing includes salary history, the institution hasn't a clue how much
to pay the person they will hire and wishes first and foremost to lowball
the starting salary.

At 04:25 PM 5/4/97 -0400, you wrote:
>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
>
>
Peter B. Stevenson
Exhibit Developer
Field Museum
Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605-2496
O:312-922-9410, x636
F:312-922-0084
E:[log in to unmask]

"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time."
                                        --Steven Wright