Can I lie about my current income on a job app?

[stooken]

looking to switch jobs soon. is it possible for me to "bump" up my current income a few grand or can they verify that somehow?

[Hawkeye]

Good question. If it is with a different company I bet you could get away with lying. But then again if they do check, a couple grand extra would be a really stupid reason to lose the jop opportunity.

Not worth it IMO.

[Tondtar]

It's a known fact that most people do. However, I would not do it more than a reasonable and expected raise amount. Another words, 10% or so is OK but doubling your current salary is not. Good luck

[aut0sh0cker]

Yes. Yes you could. But as it was said, that would be a really stupid reason to miss out on a career opportunity...

[bolinp78]

Originally Posted by stooken

looking to switch jobs soon. is it possible for me to "bump" up my current income a few grand or can they verify that somehow?

Not anymore!

[stooken]

i always thought this was confidential information between you and your employer, i guess not.

[!Xoible]

no. u can always request the money you want. if caught ur hosed. not worth it

[mithiral67]

General rule, lying on a job app is grounds to firing you at any future date. Then again, most employment agreements are at will.

Then again, anyone caught lying in my line of work would be fired in a heart beat if they got caught lying about something like this.

[stooken]

Originally Posted by mithiral67

General rule, lying on a job app is grounds to firing you at any future date. Then again, most employment agreements are at will.

Then again, anyone caught lying in my line of work would be fired in a heart beat if they got caught lying about something like this.

of course from a manager/owner standpoint. but as an employee, anyone would want more money. i just always thought this was confidential information. good to know that it's not.

[BK]

We always ask for current salary. We generally have a range in mind when we list a job, but we look at current salary to help gauge what sort of offer to make to an applicant. If you lie, don't lie by too much. It won't benefit you.

If you're just trying to maximize your offer and you think your current salary is under market, tell the prospective employer: "I am underpaid at my current job. I know the market for this job should be in the range of X to Y." Do your research and ask what you really think the position is worth. For most companies, this is your ONE SHOT to get a good salary. Once you start, salary increases will be harder to come by. Start with a good base.

When you do get an offer from the employer, repeat it out loud, but don't give them any feedback (positive or negative). Tell them you will consider it at least overnight. This is key. Positive feedback, they'll assume you'll accept. Negative feedback, they may be offended. Be neutral. Inevitably, the employer will go to HR and try to get approval to make a better offer.

Employer: "Well, we're prepared to hire you at a salary of $130,000."
You: "$130,000."
(pause)
You: "Thank you. I will talk it over with my family and get back to you. Can I call you on Monday with my decision?"

In the interim, the employer will decide you are a very desirable candidate, try to figure out the best offer he can make to you, and will feel lucky to get you if you accept.

Best of luck.

[Hawkeye]

Good advise BK. I have friends that ask "Is that the best you can do?" and it seems to work out for them, but I have been doing just fine with the approach that you mentioned.

[achien]

no advisable. all they have to do is do a background check, based on your SSN, on your tax return and they will find out.

Originally Posted by stooken

looking to switch jobs soon. is it possible for me to "bump" up my current income a few grand or can they verify that somehow?

[BK]

Originally Posted by achien

no advisable. all they have to do is do a background check, based on your SSN, on your tax return and they will find out.

We don't pull tax returns of prospective employees. I imagine the only employers that can do so are in the intelligence community(!), and they do so with your consent.

Your SSN is provided for W-2 purposes, credit check, and criminal background check.

[Prissy]

well said BK!

[mpimping]

for a few grand no...

[///Mandy]

I was told that they don't, but obviously try to keep it within reason so it won't raise any questions to them....

[Doc]

Is it really worth losing a job over a few grand? you will get that salary in the near future so why bother? Honesty is still the best policy... I would rather do business with someone whose straight up front than a liar about even silly things

[joec500]

I am a recruiter here in the silicon valley, and I strongly discourage lying about your current comp. Some companies, like symantec, run full background checks and when I used to recruit there, they would check the income through tax documents. Also if I find out my candidate lies, I see that as a red flag and unless the candidate is amazing, I end the process.

If anything, leave it blank, but DO NOT LIE.

my .02 cents

[kevinbahnz]

to answer your question, yes you can lie. you can lie about anything your heart desires. but if you get caught , just tell them everyone lies.

[joec500]

Originally Posted by kevinbahnz

to answer your question, yes you can lie. you can lie about anything your heart desires. but if you get caught , just tell them everyone lies.

HA....That might work too!!! almost as good as, "I read it on the Internet, so it must be true"

[stooken]

Originally Posted by BK

We always ask for current salary. We generally have a range in mind when we list a job, but we look at current salary to help gauge what sort of offer to make to an applicant. If you lie, don't lie by too much. It won't benefit you.

If you're just trying to maximize your offer and you think your current salary is under market, tell the prospective employer: "I am underpaid at my current job. I know the market for this job should be in the range of X to Y." Do your research and ask what you really think the position is worth. For most companies, this is your ONE SHOT to get a good salary. Once you start, salary increases will be harder to come by. Start with a good base.

When you do get an offer from the employer, repeat it out loud, but don't give them any feedback (positive or negative). Tell them you will consider it at least overnight. This is key. Positive feedback, they'll assume you'll accept. Negative feedback, they may be offended. Be neutral. Inevitably, the employer will go to HR and try to get approval to make a better offer.

Employer: "Well, we're prepared to hire you at a salary of $130,000."
You: "$130,000."
(pause)
You: "Thank you. I will talk it over with my family and get back to you. Can I call you on Monday with my decision?"

In the interim, the employer will decide you are a very desirable candidate, try to figure out the best offer he can make to you, and will feel lucky to get you if you accept.

Best of luck.

thanks for the info. great advice there. that's exactly why i asked the question. i know companies use the current salary to gauge what salary to offer so if the current salary is a little higher, the offer might go up a bit. it just raises the base offer up a bit. but i completely understand about not completely BS'ing it so that it sounds outrageous.

Originally Posted by joec500

I am a recruiter here in the silicon valley, and I strongly discourage lying about your current comp. Some companies, like symantec, run full background checks and when I used to recruit there, they would check the income through tax documents. Also if I find out my candidate lies, I see that as a red flag and unless the candidate is amazing, I end the process.

If anything, leave it blank, but DO NOT LIE.

my .02 cents

i guess i shouldn't ask you to find me a job?

i thought background checks were just for criminal records only? no idea they would go as far as pulling tax documents.

[kevinbahnz]

I heard on the news that some companies even go to such lengths as checking out myspace and facebook.