I don't know if any of you have ever been required to disclose your salary history on an application or during an interview for a job, but a question was just raised to me, should one include their total compensation package or just actual paid salary? For some people, the total compensation package could double their stated income. But which is more truthful? I thought this was an interesting question anyway.
Prior to grad school I had a job that had a relatively large perfomance based compensation package. My base was in the mid-40's but with my bonuses that number was closer to $65-$75k. When asked to include the information in my cover letter I always put the total monetary compensation. I know someone that actually calculated the value of his health insurance and his 401K match and included that in the number on an application, I think that is a bit misleading.
Total comp packages often include monetary bonuses as well, I wonder if all of this should be a factor in a hiring decision and salary negotiation. I would speculate that a total comp. vs. total comp. would be more on the level than trying to compare two competing salaries.