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Your opinion on including salary info in job postings?
What is your personal opinion on including salary info in job postings? I see it as a good thing because it weeds out people who want more money than what the company may be able to offer. If the candidate is interested enough in the job they will likely apply anyway. I feel that if you don't include a salary range, you get a lot more unqualified people responding to the opening. Opinions?
Answers (38)
Gary A L
Chief Engineer / Safety and Mission Assurance Officer at SAIC
Best Answers in: Engineering (1), Using LinkedIn (1)
I agree with your comments. I always hated not knowing at least the salary range when looking for a job. Too many times, I would spend a great deal of time dealing with phone interviews to "get to the ugly question" about salary, only to find out that the company and I were not anywhere close enough to entertain negotiations. It generally ends up wasting too much time.
I feel the best solution is to put an "expected range" but add the caveat that it may be negotiable and add benefits. As an HR don't try to attract quantity of applications, go for quality; 10 qualified applicants is much better than haggling and weeding out of hundreds!
Troy R
Technical Executive (computing). Founder and former Chairman of CAUBE.AU and Executive Director of iCAUCE.
Best Answers in: Software Development (2)
It works both ways. If you are looking for an executive level role ($100K+), or medium size company C level role ($200K+), or large company C level role ($500K+) an ad without some indication is probably not going to get a response at all. On the other hand if you put in the range you will get every man and his blind dog applying for the job on the off chance they might get considered. However these roles are almost always best filled using a headhunter.
For more junior roles you may be able to get away without nominating a salary, however it is really going to depend on the state of the market. If it's a seller's market, you may need to name a salary to even have a chance of attracting appropriate talent.
Robert G
Operations Manager at Morton Philips; Author of "1001 nights..."
Best Answers in: Using LinkedIn (1)
Be strategic. Be vague when you need to. Be specific when that's appropriate. Leave it out whe you should. If you're posting six jobs, make six individual decisions!
You have to differentiate between candidates. I think it is fine. Jobseekers don't always like it and depending upon your goals it may change but I feel you should take the mystery out of sourcing this way.
John M. O also suggests these experts on this topic:
I feel it's helpful to both the potential candidate and the employer to know what the salary range is because it implies the level of experience and qualifications desired.
As a job-seeker, I do not enjoy having to tell an employer what salary range I'm seeking. It's no fun wasting a bunch of time sending clips and writing cover letters, only to never hear back because your salary range is not in line with the employer's, or to be told that it is not. I'd rather get there and talk about it one-on-one and negotiate. After all, there's more to a job than salary. I'll take a paycut if I really want the job!
Interesting answers from all! I think it makes a difference if you are searching for your company or are relying on a recruiter. Typically as a recruiter I seek out the salary required from a candidate to make a move (already knowing the range from my client). It has been my experience that most of the people seeking to make a move BECAUSE of salary ends up being a negative experience. I work hard to find the right "match" for the position and salary becomes the secondary influence. Most often the right person is most important. I think a company posting for itself may want to either post a range or "negotiable based on experience."
I totally agree with you. Weeding "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" saves a lot of TIME for both the employer and the applicant.
If an employer really wants a particular person who is interview with a competitor, then there is always room for negotiation.
Towner B
Software Services Manager/Consultant
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I think the answer is, "How certain are you about the salary range, and how negotiable are you?" I think many companies will not state their band because they can't defend it. That is to say, they can't make direct links between specific skills, experience, etc. and the pay level. Companies that can make that linkage arguably have an advantage both in hiring and in assigning salary adjustments. Not that this easy to do!
If you know what you're going to pay, and you're able to make that linkage, include the salary information. Otherwise don't post it, and risk combining your market research with the interview process.
I think salary that is posted should be treated as a guide, not the end all. You would be surprised how many employers truely do not have the knowledge of correct salaries in the industry that they are in. The flaw in job boards is that no matter whether or not you post the salary, you will get bombarded with unqualified candidates. This I would say is why recruiters can be helpful in your search. We know the industry, we are in the marketplace everyday, and we already know what you want to make and what the hiring authority will offer. This everyone from wasting time. Call me biased, but it's the truth.
As a recruiter/headhunter I ALWAYS include a range when advertizing. That way people can self-select out.
When presenting a job, I never give the range until I know what a potential candidate is looking for.
There are two sides to this story:
As a recent job seeker, I have applied for positions that didn't list salary information, I found that at times, I would get to the phone screen process and the compensation offered was not even close to my requirement. Which in turn, wasted my time as well as the time of the interviewer. So, as a job seeker, I love to see the salary range posted.
As a recruiter on the other hand, I see it a little differently. If you post an ad and decide to put the salary range in it, you are going to have a majority of the qualified candidates requesting the high-end of the salary (they may not be worth it-so in this case you will need to be confident and savvy enough in your recruitment expertise to talk them down to their realistic worth). However, if you do not post the salary range on the ad, you are going to receive many candidates that are below and above the compensation range, this is not necessarily a bad situation to be in (it may just take longer to get through the piles), as you will have candidates for other or future requirements.
in my openion, the salary should only be discussed or disclosed after knowing ones expectations.
if you put the salary upfront..that may result with unwanted or unmatched proples applying for the job just for the sake of salary, they didn't even look at the role and skills required for the job.
but if you are not disclsoing the salary you are setting expectations for the candidate to ask for---what he expects.
Maybe you will find someone relevant and good fit much below the salary budget you have in mind...and it happens most of the times.
Some works for role and some for position and some more money so u need to find out what the candidate wants and play the game accordingly..
Kathryn R
Proven skills in project management, cost control and creative solutions
IMO - from two different perspectives, as a hiring manager and a job hunter, I prefer visible salary info. Why? Time is money!
As a hiring manager, I will use the qualifications will screen out a candidate who isn't strong enough and I won't waste time with a candidate whose salary requirements are not in range.
As a job hunter, I don't want waste time applying to a position only to find that salary is unacceptable.
Please let us know the consensus!
Hi Bill,
Thank you for inviting me to join your LI connections. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. I will make the time to assist you in any way I can.
Best in '08
JB
I'm with the majority here. You may as well avoid wasting the time of potentially interested candidates who are not a match for the salary level.
In the alternative, if the salary really is "whatever it takes to get the best-fitting candidate," I'm sure you can find words to that effect.
If the salary the client wishes to pay is lower than the norm (and they are fixed at that amount) AND if they are fixed in their job specifications, then I definitely include the salary on job postings. I want qualified candidates to be able to self-select out if salary is truly an issue.
On the other hard, if the salary is flexible (ie the client will pay more for a stronger candidate), I will leave the salary off, so I receive a broader range of candidates and skill sets. Sometimes the client really has to pay more to get more, but they won't be able to see that until I present them with a range of candidates.
Jason B
Field Operations Manager, JobsInTheUS.com jblais@jobsintheus.com
Best Answers in: Mentoring (1), Career Management (1), Ethics (1)
It's my experience that a writing a job posting is the first step to increasing employee retention. By that, I mean that if you want to reduce turnover and increase your employee retention, you need to attract the right candidates to apply, and give them a reason to view your company as a long term proposition, not a stepping stone along their career path.
To that end, I believe it is absolutely critical to include a salary range in the posting. The reasons, for me anyway, go beyond what most people have discussed, that being weeding out people who won't work for your salary range. In my opinion, showing the salary range may actually increase your ability to attract long term employees, by showing them that there is a future, including increased financial rewards, within your company.
Here's a hypothetical scenario: You post a job opening with a salary range of $40k to $60k. Of course, everyone who applies will be looking for the $60k. If that person is not qualified for the $60, you would offer them less- say $45k, and provide an explanation of how that person could get to $60k with your company. If the person accepts, you've hired a very motivated and success oriented new employee, who will not be looking for other jobs that pay a few dollars more, but will instead use that energy to realize what they ultimately want, $60k, with your company.
Many recruiters or hiring managers I speak with have the fear that people will turn down the job if they don't get the max. It's been my experience, however, that salary ranges tend to be very similar by industry and region. So, if a candidate isn't qualified for the top end of YOUR salary range, they probably aren't qualified for the top end of your competitors salary range. Generally, a candidate is either qualified for a certain dollar amount or they're not.
Sorry for the long winded answer, but this is something that I speak to HR professionals about regularly, and something that I believe can be utilized to have great discussions with potential hires during the interview process.
Best Regards,
Jason C. Blais
www.recruitingfrontlines.blogspot.com
Links:
Bill P
Staffing Manager at Snelling Staffing and Staffing and Recruiting Consultant
I completely agree with your last comment "I feel that if you don't include a salary range, you get a lot more unqualified people responding to the opening" I see this all too often when posting different jobs online. By putting a "salary range" you save yourself both time and money by not having to weed through those who are not qualified for the position.
Art D
ADouglas@BlackwaterNetwork.com - EDI Professional - Consulting and Contracting - Available for Assignment [LION]
I hate the games recruiters play when I apply for a job that lists salary as DOE or Competitive. I have TONS of experience, but when I tell them how much I want then they treat me like I am being rediculous, they don't endear themselves to me. If the rate is low, it should be shown, so people won't waste their time applying for a job they wouldn't accept. If it is high, then it isn't necessary to list it. The applicant will be pleasantly surprised.
Jeffrey C
Jeff@MyCreds.net | TopLinked.com | 8.9M | 5.5k | Career Presentation | US Recruiting | MyCreds.net | SPGC.com
Salary information is important since it outlines a number to best qualify potential candidates.
Links:
I am from Australia where 90% of jobs, with the exception of CEO, President, etc. levels have income posted...easy for applicants to identify jobs in their required income ranges, but more so, eliminates the amount of screening required by HR. In other words, more qualified people apply for the positions.
Whether a candidate sees the salary info or not, does not produce A talent to Ads. "A" talents wants to see an Ad the presents a challenge or opportunity, rather than a "job description". You need make the title exciting as well as the position profile. If written well, people know it is a something they should apply for. I recommend you read Lou Adler's book, Hire with your Head. I do not know him, the book is great. If you are just trying to gather quantity, put the the salary in there, if you want the best, do a better job marketing to the best.
Kristin K
Sourcing Strategist at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
Best Answers in: Staffing and Recruiting (2), Career Management (1)
As a candidate sourcing professional on the corporate side, I feel it should be left out. If people above or below the range/experience apply, you can then add them to your candidate pipeline for future openings. Plus, this way you mitigate candidates lying about salary to get the top of the range and you attract those who are looking at the job rather than those looking to make a buck. You'll get more appropriate candidates by leaving the range off in my humble opinion. I always get right to the point about compensation on the first call, as I don't want to waste my time or the candidate's time if it won't be a fit.
Jenifer R. D
Community Relations Pro/Certified Events Mgr/Project Mgr--jdaniels1021(at)hotmail(dot)com
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I hate job descriptions without salaries...especially in the non profit sector. I've applied for many "director" titles with multiple job expectations that only paid in the 30K range.
I agree with you. There are always going to be major players that are priced out of your market. My suggestion would be to tell your candidates that the salary is commensurate upon education and experience and get as honest an answer as possible as to what they made the previous year. You then put it to them like this: "Money aside, if this opportunity is this, this and this, would you consider a lateral move?"
You can get around salary ranges, but you have to be crafty...
If the role is a replacement role, or could have current employees apply then advertising the salary could create a political nightmare for the client. Salary rates need to be dealt with on ad hoc basis, depending on role and client.
My opinion is that it is often more advantageous to not list salary information. I see a lot more unqualified people apply when salary is included. Unqualified candidates tend to use that as the primary factor for expressing interest instead of evaluating their skills to the job they are reviewing. Good recruiters can, in the first 5 minutes, work in the salary range question with a candidate. I am always up front with candidates if I cannot offer a competitive salary. Besides, there are so many different facets of compensation, 401K, health benefits, vacation, sign on bonus etc that factor into an overall compensation package.
Perhaps for lower entry level positions it is more realistic to list comp ranges but for the higher level positions I think it is an time management advantage for your recruiters to leave it out and give them the opportunity to connect with candidates first about career growth, responsibilities of the role etc.
I think it definitely depends on the position and the market. For SMEs and highly skilled, hard to find professionals I would not post because you don't want to lose a top candidate for a difficult to fill position because its too low. You may want to pay whatever it takes. For junior level, I would place a tight range most of the time or whatever the budget allocates.
Doug H
Creative and Fun Strategic Leader with expertise in financial management, customer service, and inspiring teams
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I agree. I think that including a range, even if it's broader than you really want to pay, gives you a first cut at filtering applicants.
I agree with you , I think we should put salary range in the job postings so that we can have relevant profiles in short span of time. as we are always running out of time i think this can help us in filter out the junk !! Don’t hesitate and Be smart in using the symbols with figures like “>50 lacs <” , “50 lacs +-“ ...