Q & A Table of Contents
What to tell your new employer about your former pay
From: "Team Player", Arizona
Question: I recently landed a great new joby. Using a friend's advice, I included my total compensation as my salary on my application. Is this the norm? Also, when my company initially countered, I told the new job I was staying with my current employer because they offered me X amount (which was total compensation as well). In the end, I chose the new job because while their base was lower, the total compensation was the same and the opportunities for long term career plans is better.
Was I dishonest with my new employer or is this the way the "game is
played". As a result of taking this approach, I'm actually getting a net
15% increase in my base salary. I fear that if my new company calls my current employer, they could not validate my leaving salary.
Response: Thanks for your question. In general, it sounds as if you are feeling uncomfortable at having possibly misled your new employer about some elements of your compensation package at your old job and are concerned if the new folks ever check with the old ones. . .
Frankly since I don't know what industry you're describing, I don't know what the 'norms' are in that particular sector. However, if you were asked a direct question and gave an answer that was not accurate, there is always a risk of being found out. My father warned me about taking liberties with the truth by quoting this line from a poem: "Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive."
If your new employer checks with your old employer and receives an answer which undercuts your veracity, that could spell trouble. Hopefully for you, the odds are against that happening are small.
Your own moral compass is the most crucial one to follow in negotiation, in business dealings, and in the rest of life.
One of the reasons I find your question so interesting is that I'm currently writing a doctorate on business ethics. Approximately 25% of the people interviewed for the doctorate indicated that they run into conflicts between their personal ethics and those in their workplace.
Good luck with the outcome and may your new employer find that the value you add more than justifies every element of your compensation package.
Good luck and good negotiating, Steve.
| 
