Have you ever found yourself reading a job opening and thinking that it perfectly aligns with your passions, skills and lifestyle but then you get to the end of the description, and after the benefits, the salary is not included, not even a range, or worse: “salary depends on experience”. We know the struggle.
Many professionals with a proven track record and some years of experience under their belt have to consider quite a lot of things before switching jobs, and one of them, of course, is the salary. Having the salary specified in job ads allows job seekers to set a benchmark and rapidly filter in or out those positions that meet (or don’t) their requirements, saving time and efforts.
If it seems to be of such help for job seekers, why don’t employers include salary in their job openings? To answer this question, here are some insights into why employers prefer to keep that information out.
It avoids cold salary “wars” with competitors
Yes, salary “wars” are a thing. Not displaying the wage on the job position avoids any kind of trouble with competitors or companies in the sector, especially when it comes to higher-level positions. Senior and C-Level professionals are more inclined to move for higher pay, especially in cities where the tech sector is big or booming.
It empowers employers when negotiating
For employers, another positive aspect is that it can catch the attention of different professionals when it comes to experience, abilities or even location, now that remote-work is on the rise. The job applicants have to tick a set of requirements, but in the end, experience plays a big part. Employers prefer to find out as much as possible about a candidate before disclosing salary information as it gives them more power of negotiation when the time comes.
Remote-work can play in and against your favour when it comes to negotiating your salary. On one hand, it gives the employee flexibility to work from wherever they prefer and on the other side, it allows the employer to maybe offer a little less in terms of salary but compensate with perks. If you’re looking for a remote tech job, I invite you to take a look at the open positions Landing.Jobs has for TML Partners, who are recruiting remote employees.
Find people that are driven by the job, not just money
It’s common for people to be a bit driven by money, in the end, it’s what enables many things in our life. It’s also true that in the last few years the appreciation of perks has risen. Many professionals now, when applying to a new job, take into account the chance of professional growth in the company, flexibility and company culture. Some job applicants are even open to a slightly lower salary to get a job that allows them a fair work-life balance, a phenomenal workspace and team and, what is most greatly appreciated lately, flexibility.
It prevents questions from current employees
Salaries are a touchy subject between employers and sometimes create problems between teammates. In some companies, there are still differences in what employees get paid, even between members of the same team or professionals that hold the same or similar responsibilities. To avoid any sort of problem between teammates, salaries are hidden and kept a secret even between co-workers. The same applies when hiring a new employee, the company might not publicise the total wage to evade any sort of problem with an existing employee.
We can conclude that employers prefer to keep the salary secret because it gives them a little more power when it comes to hiring professionals, who on the other hand, prefer to know that information from the very beginning.
A study by Glassdoor points out that 67% of employees and job seekers look for salary information on a job ad, the most important information followed by benefits with 63% and location with 59%. Contrary to employers, disclosing the salary or salary range on the job opening is the preferred choice for many professionals as it saves them time.
It’s also worth commenting that as much as employers try to keep it a secret, salary information finds its way out in one way or another. The most common source of salary and company information are websites like Glassdoor or PayScale, which come in handy for professionals to get an overall first feel of a company, salary range and opinions on current or former workers.
At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong when it comes to disclosing salary information on a job description. Some companies prefer to disclose the information, for which they have valid reasons, and some others prefer not to.
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