As a result, there’s a temptation to leave this figure off job adverts. Unfortunately, in the current market, this might be causing more problems than it solves.
The Importance of Salary Transparency to Candidates
A company might be offering beautiful premises, an office dog, pool table, free fruit and plenty of other fantastic perks to their potential hires, but for most candidates, nothing compares to salary when it comes to deciding whether or not to apply for a job.
In two online polls, we asked
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What is most important to you when applying for a job?
Over 70% of respondents chose pay.
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Would you apply for a job if the salary was not visible?
More than 85% or candidates said No.
The results are pretty clear – by leaving salary information off your adverts, you might be reducing your potential candidate pool by more than two-thirds.
First impressions count – and most job seekers will not respond well to a perceived culture of secrecy. Tenacious candidates are likely to be able to find salary information one way or another, through sites such as Glassdoor – but might then question why it was left off the advert in the first place.
Expect terms such as ‘negotiable’ and ‘competitive’ to meet with skepticism too. Research by Reed found that up to 50% of applicants would be actively put off by these terms. If the figure absolutely must remain hidden, it’s generally better to state ‘Salary dependent on experience and leave it at that.
But to reach the most quality candidates – it’s always better to be upfront!
