While it used to be the norm to list salaries on job postings, this trend has somewhat reversed. In years past, posting a salary on a job description was almost a requirement to garner interest in the job. But now job postings are quite variable. Some list a salary, some list a range, and some give no indication of the pay level.
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For those employers that are considering whether they should list the salary in the job posting, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of doing so.
Listing a Salary in a Job Posting: The Pros
What are the benefits for an employer in listing the job salary in a job posting? There are actually quite a few:
- It allows candidates to make decisions about whether the level is in alignment with their needs and expectations for the role. Omitting salary information does the opposite; the lack of transparency may mean some qualified applicants will choose not to apply since they’re unsure whether their efforts will be worthwhile.
- It may mean the employer (and applicants) waste less time in the recruiting process. It’s quite frustrating to go through the entire selection process, only to discover at the end that the salary did not meet the applicant’s needs. This can be avoided.
- It could make jobseekers more confident in the job posting if they know going into the process that the pay is what they’re expecting. This may mean you get more qualified applicants who have self-selected to apply at that pay level.
- It means there is less negotiating on the back end. This is both a pro and a con. It’s a pro because it means the negotiation process can be streamlined.
- It may mean you get fewer applicants. This is also both a pro and a con. It’s a pro because it means you may have fewer unqualified applicants to sift through, and you are less likely to get to the end of the process only to have the candidate walk away because of the salary not meeting expectations.
- It allows applicants to easily compare jobs. Applicants have more resources than ever, which means they are likely doing salary research anyway. By listing the salary, they can quickly compare online for many jobs and see whether they think it is fair. While this may not instinctively seem like a benefit to the employer, applicants will come with a salary expectation anyway, so it can be a benefit to have this information available up front.
In part 2 of this article, we’ll look at the cons of posting salary in job descriptions.