Unless the job for which you are applying is a federal one, leave out the salaries you received from your present and past employment. Why? Simply because unless you’re headed for federal employment and nothing else, including your salaries can work against you.

Suppose, for example, that you’ve been working at a job and receiving a salary you think is pretty good—but one or more of the companies to which you’re currently applying for a better job would pay you 15% more than your current employer is paying for providing them with the exact same services. The HR manager at your prospective new company sees what you’re currently making and immediately makes one of two assumptions: You can be hired to work for less than what the prospective company would have offered to pay, and if you were willing to work for less perhaps you’re not worth hiring anyway.

The federal government, on the other hand, allocates its salaries very visibly and by employment grade.  Telling the feds what you’ve been making makes sense because you’ll probably be asked that at your interview anyway.

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