The new sketchy interview tactic financial firms may be employing
I recently sat down with an experienced consultant who had just moved from one Big Four firm to another, and he rattled off an interesting anecdote about the hiring process.
The goal of the move was to earn a promotion and an accompanying pay raise, among other less important details. He was honest about his reasoning behind looking and was open about his current compensation, as well as the raise he would require to change firms. He was caught firmly by surprise as the process moved to the offer stage.
The hiring firm, of which he asked to remain nameless, asked for proof of his current salary, clearly in an effort to justify his financial demands. The company wanted recent pay stubs and W2 forms going back two full years.
While such a request is common with my former vocation – recruiting, as commissions are direct evidence of success – it struck us both as odd, especially considering he was admittedly an individual contributor, not someone responsible for bringing in business. I reached out to several consulting firms, including all of the Big Four, to see if this is a common interview tactic, but none responded to requests for comment.
In your experience, was this an odd request? Does it happen in banking as well? How would you have responded? Let us know in the comment section below. He thought about it, got some advice, and declined to provide the evidence of his pay, despite being honest in the interview. He still got the job offer.
