I do not agree with Mr. Raj as Sarika wants to know how to check the last salary, which suggests that they are offering more than his/her (candidate's) last salary drawn. I think you should ask for the last month's salary slip, and if needed, you can also ask for Form 16.
The point made by Mr. Raj is correct, but it's not answering the question, and it seems too harsh.
From India, Ahmadabad
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The point made by Mr. Raj is correct, but it's not answering the question, and it seems too harsh.
From India, Ahmadabad
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Very useful format. and your attachment suits well as the answer to the thread starter. regards, shijit.
From India, Kochi
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125From India, Kochi
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Hi all,
I appreciate what Mr. Raj wrote, but I'm wondering, "why the recruiter may need such information?" For small companies, maybe you need such information as a competitive advantage, but for companies which have grading systems, competency profiles, salary structures, and at least minimum qualifications (or job descriptions) for the vacancy, and the candidate fits your requirements, there is no need to verify the history. Headhunting for seniors is totally different from what I've mentioned above.
In summary, KISS = Keep It Simply Statistically. Simplify your HR operations.
Salam,
Eng. Muhammad Abuissa
Compensation & Benefits Specialist
From Saudi Arabia, Khobar
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I appreciate what Mr. Raj wrote, but I'm wondering, "why the recruiter may need such information?" For small companies, maybe you need such information as a competitive advantage, but for companies which have grading systems, competency profiles, salary structures, and at least minimum qualifications (or job descriptions) for the vacancy, and the candidate fits your requirements, there is no need to verify the history. Headhunting for seniors is totally different from what I've mentioned above.
In summary, KISS = Keep It Simply Statistically. Simplify your HR operations.
Salam,
Eng. Muhammad Abuissa
Compensation & Benefits Specialist
From Saudi Arabia, Khobar
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While I tend to agree with Raj Kumar to a large extent, as compensation offered to a prospective employee is based on organizational philosophy which is again based on factors like location, prevailing salaries in that industrial segment, value of the job, etc. However, there are some reasons which make it desirable to have existing salary details. Some of the reasons could be:
Where candidates express their expected compensation at a new place in percentage hike.
Where you find a candidate extremely good and wish to hire him and go an extra mile which may necessitate exceeding the upper limit of the salary band for that level, it seems rational to be sure if the candidate has not falsified his current compensation.
There are some mechanisms to have a reasonably good idea of his salary. The same are:
- Ask him to bring along the letter in the original last appraisal letter giving a breakdown of his revised compensation.
- Ask for the last 3 - 6 months' salary slips.
- Ask for Form 16 for the last year.
A serious candidate is expected to come up with these documents at the time of the interview and in all probability will not give false compensation details under such circumstances.
However, once you have hired someone, no useful purpose will be served in gathering the last employment salary since you will not fire him just for this reason whereas he may be doing very well on his job responsibilities.
I strongly feel that organizations should have their compensation plans updated as per their respective industrial segment, location, nearest competitors, etc., and stick to the same, but I understand many a time this is not feasible and that is the reason why one has to yield to a candidate's demands, although not a healthy trend.
Thanks,
With Regards,
Arun Tripathi
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Where candidates express their expected compensation at a new place in percentage hike.
Where you find a candidate extremely good and wish to hire him and go an extra mile which may necessitate exceeding the upper limit of the salary band for that level, it seems rational to be sure if the candidate has not falsified his current compensation.
There are some mechanisms to have a reasonably good idea of his salary. The same are:
- Ask him to bring along the letter in the original last appraisal letter giving a breakdown of his revised compensation.
- Ask for the last 3 - 6 months' salary slips.
- Ask for Form 16 for the last year.
A serious candidate is expected to come up with these documents at the time of the interview and in all probability will not give false compensation details under such circumstances.
However, once you have hired someone, no useful purpose will be served in gathering the last employment salary since you will not fire him just for this reason whereas he may be doing very well on his job responsibilities.
I strongly feel that organizations should have their compensation plans updated as per their respective industrial segment, location, nearest competitors, etc., and stick to the same, but I understand many a time this is not feasible and that is the reason why one has to yield to a candidate's demands, although not a healthy trend.
Thanks,
With Regards,
Arun Tripathi
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Hi Sarika,
Asking for a bank statement would not be a genuine idea because many employees have the habit of using their salary account for personal use, for which employees may not feel comfortable to reveal.
Regards,
Geetha K
HR
Retail Firm
From India, Hyderabad
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Asking for a bank statement would not be a genuine idea because many employees have the habit of using their salary account for personal use, for which employees may not feel comfortable to reveal.
Regards,
Geetha K
HR
Retail Firm
From India, Hyderabad
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I endorse all these options. There might be yet another one; but, I would not choose to do so. That is: Ask for the components of CTC. If there are some 'missing figures' / if all these totals up do not make the total the candidate has claimed, ask him for the details.
Regards, M.S. Sreekumar
HR Professional
Cochin
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Regards, M.S. Sreekumar
HR Professional
Cochin
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Dear Sarika,
I feel there is no need to verify for salary decision per se. If the company can afford it, it will be given eventually to the candidate. Additionally, the organization should have exact figures on the talent, qualifications, and market value before the hiring process starts. This way, negotiations can be based on solid information. Salary surveys like those from PayScale or Shine provide a fair idea as it is market-driven and based on individual choice.
Another point to consider is that if someone was underpaid before but now understands their value, they have every right to ask the company for a higher salary, regardless of what they were paid previously. Whether to pay or not is the company's policy and decision.
To verify if a candidate is truthful, there are other ways of assessing their personality. If you wish to verify, I would suggest asking for the candidate's salary slips for the last six months as the best option, as salary slips are hard to fabricate.
Furthermore, if you contact a previous employer, I believe no employer should reveal the salary of personnel without their explicit permission as it is a privacy issue.
From India, Mumbai
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I feel there is no need to verify for salary decision per se. If the company can afford it, it will be given eventually to the candidate. Additionally, the organization should have exact figures on the talent, qualifications, and market value before the hiring process starts. This way, negotiations can be based on solid information. Salary surveys like those from PayScale or Shine provide a fair idea as it is market-driven and based on individual choice.
Another point to consider is that if someone was underpaid before but now understands their value, they have every right to ask the company for a higher salary, regardless of what they were paid previously. Whether to pay or not is the company's policy and decision.
To verify if a candidate is truthful, there are other ways of assessing their personality. If you wish to verify, I would suggest asking for the candidate's salary slips for the last six months as the best option, as salary slips are hard to fabricate.
Furthermore, if you contact a previous employer, I believe no employer should reveal the salary of personnel without their explicit permission as it is a privacy issue.
From India, Mumbai
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Raj Kumar is 100% right. why should we bother about previous salary of an employee? We should never encourage this.
From Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
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From Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
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Organization can set its own recruitment process for recruiting and retaining the employees.
Based on so many factors- company policy, understanding, practical experience etc., the organization sets the process. Some Organization may have the policy that the maximum compensation can be 20 % more than the existing salary. In this case the process of recruitment will take care of checking his previous company’s salary in order to understand how much maximum he can offer for the candidate. So there is no harm in checking his salary with his previous company.
So many abnormal examples as quoted by Mr. Raj kumar may seem to be logically correct. But practically, 70 – 80 % of the candidates intend to project his/her salary more than what he/she earns.
One should have the maturity to understand the need of verification of previous salary.
How to verify the previous employment salary is to ask for Pay slip / Bank statement copy ( if the salary is credited in the bank) / Income tax deduction certificate, when the HR department collects documents in support of candidates education and qualification.
If your recruitment process warrants previous employers reference check, even during the reference check also one can verify the candidate’s salary along with other details like his designation, his attitude, his behavior etc
From India, New Delhi
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Based on so many factors- company policy, understanding, practical experience etc., the organization sets the process. Some Organization may have the policy that the maximum compensation can be 20 % more than the existing salary. In this case the process of recruitment will take care of checking his previous company’s salary in order to understand how much maximum he can offer for the candidate. So there is no harm in checking his salary with his previous company.
So many abnormal examples as quoted by Mr. Raj kumar may seem to be logically correct. But practically, 70 – 80 % of the candidates intend to project his/her salary more than what he/she earns.
One should have the maturity to understand the need of verification of previous salary.
How to verify the previous employment salary is to ask for Pay slip / Bank statement copy ( if the salary is credited in the bank) / Income tax deduction certificate, when the HR department collects documents in support of candidates education and qualification.
If your recruitment process warrants previous employers reference check, even during the reference check also one can verify the candidate’s salary along with other details like his designation, his attitude, his behavior etc
From India, New Delhi
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I think all of you are not getting the crux of the request. People are talking about professionalism, HR norms, etc., but all this is not needed. I am surprised by the kind of replies sent by HR professionals. HR professionals are meant to help internal and external customers by extending support in whatever ways possible. Rude and harsh replies should be the last resort for any HR professional.
As part of the joining process, all the information declared by the candidate needs to be verified. Not all companies have the budget to hire a vendor for this purpose. However, the same can be verified by contacting the concerned HR professional (previous employer) via email. Send the scanned copy of the latest salary slip submitted by the new hire and request the HR to validate and confirm whether the attached document is issued by them.
Upon receiving the reply, appropriate action can be taken, either initiating action against the employee (if the information is incorrect or forged) or filing the validated copy of the email in the employee's personal file.
Note: This action should be initiated only after the agreement (signed) of the new joiner.
Thank you, Jeeva, for your reply.
From India, New Delhi
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As part of the joining process, all the information declared by the candidate needs to be verified. Not all companies have the budget to hire a vendor for this purpose. However, the same can be verified by contacting the concerned HR professional (previous employer) via email. Send the scanned copy of the latest salary slip submitted by the new hire and request the HR to validate and confirm whether the attached document is issued by them.
Upon receiving the reply, appropriate action can be taken, either initiating action against the employee (if the information is incorrect or forged) or filing the validated copy of the email in the employee's personal file.
Note: This action should be initiated only after the agreement (signed) of the new joiner.
Thank you, Jeeva, for your reply.
From India, New Delhi
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