A new law that went into effect in Illinois in September amended the Illinois Equal Pay Act of 2003 by prohibiting employers from asking job candidates about their previous compensation history. The hope was that employers in the state would adopt more fair hiring practices by setting a compensation package for whoever takes the job in the future, regardless of gender.
“It is just an adjustment for us in terms of the questions we are able to ask candidates,” says Steve Wolfe, executive vice president of operations and administration for Addison Group, a staffing and consulting firm in Illinois. “It causes us to focus more on the current state and what an opportunity entails and involves and how that is going to be compensated regardless of what a person did or didn’t do in the past.”
