Question:

Should I include salary and/or contact phone numbers for my employment history on my resume?

First Answer:

NO!!! Think of the resume as an advertisement of what you can do for the job you are apply for. Neither past salary or telephone numbers of employers should appear on the resume. If your former employers are also serving as your references, you will include the telephone numbers on your reference page. In case you are asked for a salary history, deal with that in the cover letter.

Many times salary history and phone numbers of past employers are asked for on an application and they should be included when asked for.

-- Linda Wyatt, Career Center Director, Kansas City Kansas Community College

Second Answer:

While there is no hard and fast rule, putting too much specific information can actually make you seem less attractive as a candidate. You don't want to seem desperate, and you don't want to lock yourself into a salary that is lower than what the employer had planned to offer.

The only exception to the above is when that information is specifically required in a job posting. Not giving that information might keep you from getting a call.

One last comment. When listing references and previous employers, it is always best to let them know that they might get a phone call from a potential employer. While this is not always possible, it is the polite thing to do.

Best of luck to you.

-- Holly Lentz, Lentz Productions

Third Answer:

The purpose of a resume is to inform a hiring company of your skills and abilities to do a job. If you format your resume to specifically target the job, you will leave out all unnecessary information such as salary histories, contact information, objective statements, etc.

In most instances, companies that require salary information are trying to put you in a box. It is the first step in a bad hiring decision on their part, and an unreasonable request to comply with on your part. Don't do it. Your interests in submitting a resume and interviewing with a company is to explore a fit. If the fit works, then the nitty-gritty of salary, background specifics and job requirements can be negotiated.

It is not unreasonable for a company to request some information in order to confirm your background. But how much you got paid at your last job has absolutely no bearing on how much you should make in a new position. If you research the company and the position well, a fair wage can be determined between you and the hiring company. There's no way-- and no need-- that they will tell you how much the last guy made in the job you are pursuing. The same holds true for your salary history.

Be prepared to supply references and contact information of previous employers. But do not put this information on your resume. Prepare it separately and have it ready at a moment's notice if it is requested.

--Jeff Westover, Writer, Salt Lake City, Utah

Fourth Answer:

Give them only what they ask for, is my suggestion. As to salary on a resume, I think not. May I suggest you look at the answers to last week's question on this subject.

As to giving contact names of former or current employers, again I think not. In my mind, to do so implies you are using them as a reference. References are best left for interviewers to request. Then be given the interviewer on a seperate sheet.

Additionally, I would advocate you have one-on-one conversations with each of your references to guide their responses to inquiries about you by potential employers. References should have a good idea what you are doing, where you are going/where you have been, who you are, etc. etc.. It is my view your reference should be as prepared as a lawyer prepares a witness to testify in a case. Just as much could be at stake as far as you are concerned.

Keep your reference up to date with your job search progress and give them a heads-up when you offer their names to interviewers. When you get that position, tell them and thank them in writing for the past they may have played in your success.

-- Robert C. Resch, Career Center, Triton College.

Fifth Answer:

No on both counts. Providing salary history or current salary should be avoided whenever possible, and your salary requirements should be known only to you until an employer has made you a job offer. [The exception is when you are working with an executive recruiter-but you still exclude this information from a résumé.] Just leave these items blank on a job application and address them neither in your résumé nor your cover letter. Why? Because your current salary may not be for a comparable job with a comparable employer, or you may be underpaid or paid above the market rate for a comparable job. Revealing any of this information weakens your ability to negotiate and sell your worth in the prospective job. Let the employer fall in love with you first-they may offer you a higher salary than they would a candidate they perceive as merely competent. Meantime, research market salaries for the role you seek, so you know your worth: it's the only way to negotiate.

In summary, defer discussions of compensation as long as you can without risking your candidacy: if really pressed in an interview, such as "without your salary requirements, we'll have to remove you from consideration," say that your requirements vary with the responsibility and opportunity, but that your research indicates that for someone with your background in a comparable role, the going rate is in the range of $_______to $______ base salary [or total compensation]

Protocol does not call for you to put employer phone numbers on a résumé. If a prospective employer wants them for employment verification and wants you to provide them, he or she will look at your job application or ask you for them. Remember that employment verification is different from checking professional references and you will need a separate list of those individuals.

-- Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City.

Sixth Answer:

No, these items have no place on the resume. In fact, many job seekers avoid disclosing salary history altogether, or address it briefly in the cover letter with a statement like this: "In terms of salary requirements, I recognize that flexibility is essential and would be open to negotiating a compensation package appropriate for someone offering my talents and expertise."

I do advise job seekers to keep a "master resume" that contains these and other details of their previous positions, if only to document their career progression.

-- Rene' Hart, Resumes for Success!

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