About a month ago, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio unveiled an executive order that bans city agencies from asking prospective employees about their past and current salaries. According to the New York Daily News.
Though this law will only apply to people who work for the city of New York, the mayor said he would be supporting a bill that would ban private employers (in your world that means Hearst, Conde Nast, and other media companies) from asking about employees current salaries. and was implemented to help minimize the wage gap in between men and women.
To get to the bottom of what this bill could mean for your next job interview, we spoke to Janine Truitt, chief innovations officer of Talent Think Innovations. “Traditionally, salary negotiations relied upon knowing what prospective employees made in the past so employers could decide where to place them within their salary ranges,” Truitt tells Ed2010. “This practice is often used as a way to offer candidates the least amount of money, which often translates to being in the lower end of the salary range and/or pay inequity.”
Under this law, according to Truitt, it’s in the hiring company’s best interest to offer a competitive salary from the get-go. But that doesn’t mean negotiating your next salary will be a breeze. “Negotiating salary could be become more difficult because this law presents a shift in approach for human resources departments,” says Truitt. “They’ll have to adopt a practice that basically introduces a more objective way of making salary determinations.”
Whether a prospective employer is offering just as much as you expect or a lot more, it’s important to do your research and know how much you’re worth. Truitt points out that unless you’re instructed otherwise, you do have the opportunity to ask for more money.
“When an offer is made, always ask for additional time to think about what was offered,” Truitt says. Try not to get so excited about your new gig that you forget to negotiate the best deal for yourself. “You have to be empowered enough to know your rights and redirect any questions surrounding your salary,” she says.
Before you accept a new job, do some research on how much similar positions make at different companies—Ed2010’s “Real Salaries” page is a great place to start. Be sure to get a comprehensive list of your responsibilities to see how they compare to your current job. While you’re at it, ask about the company’s benefits—gym membership, transportation, and healthcare. If you’ll be giving up any employee perks when switching jobs, use that as leverage. And if this job requires you to give up freelancing gigs, consider that another bargaining chip for you.
As long as you do your research, this new law has the potential to be great for New York City-based employees — especially modern working women.
Good luck, Whippersnappers! Ed is rooting for you.
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