• One of the things job seekers often wonder about is what a previous employer can say about them as a former employee.
• There are no federal laws restricting what information an employer can—or cannot—disclose about former employees.

The bottom line is simple: yes, background checks can reveal past employers. Some state laws, however, may prevent employers from asking about anything more than the basic details of your previous employment. For instance, a prospective employer could verify your start and end dates, job title, and job description.

Some people mistakenly assume former employers are only allowed to confirm dates of employment or job titles, or perhaps say whether you were fired or parted ways voluntarily. Yet it’s perfectly legal for your boss to give a negative reference (provided he’s not lying).

Information that can be provided includes:

• Dates of employment,
• Title (job classification),
• Employment history (all position, dates and salary since date of hire),
• Gross salary for the past two years,
• Year to date salary, and.
• Annual salary.

In January 2018, California enacted a law barring employers from checking salary history information for prospective employees. If a prospective employee volunteers their past salary information, it’s permitted in California for the employer to verify this information.

State-wide. California’s ban prohibits private and public employers from seeking a candidate’s pay history. Even if an employer already has that information or an applicant volunteers it, it still can’t be used in determining a new hire’s pay.

Employers in California are now: Prohibited from relying on an applicant’s salary history as a factor in determining whether to offer employment or what salary to offer; Prohibited from seeking salary history information, including compensation and benefits, about an applicant; and.

Your salary history—specifically the salary you earned in your most recent position—is one factor an employer can use to gauge your level of experience and the value you’ll bring as an employee. They want to ensure your expectations are aligned with their budget for the role.

1. Why do employers ask for your previous salary? Employers tend to use your past salary to gauge your market value. It also gives them a sense of what salary you may be expecting.

I will share my salary expectations with you, and we can see if it fits into your salary range for this position. I don’t think that my current salary is relevant, but if you must have that information, I will provide it after you share the salary level and range for this job.

“Thank you for asking. I wouldn’t mind telling you my salary, but, as part of my agreement to the terms and conditions of employment, I am strictly forbidden from even talking about it….

1. Ohh…
2. If some girl-friend of mine asks for the same, I answer… “I wish you were my other half to have access to this figure.”

Not all employers will ask candidates to share their salary history and, depending on the employment laws in your state, you may not encounter the question at all. If an employer doesn’t ask you for this information, there’s no need to include it with your application or during any other phase of the hiring process.

Most top employers use services of a background verification agency to do the task for them. The level of verification varies from one employer to another. There are agencies which fetch details as much as the amount credited in your bank account as salary.

“Ending salary” is the final amount you earned at a previous job. Employers often ask you to indicate your ending salary on an application.

When to ask about salary in a job interview As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to wait until the hiring manager brings up the topic. Sometimes you’ll get asked the salary question during an initial phone screen, too. Again, this can feel a bit invasive, but the company doesn’t want to waste its time.