Priceless Job Ads
Given the title of this posting, you are probably expecting to see examples of job ads for the position of “Senor Analist” or “Vice Principle” (wait, but that might just be fun enough to justify a future post…). Unfortunately, this posting is not about funny job ads with bad spelling and grammar. Instead, the “priceless job” ads I am referring to are job ads without salary information.
As you are likely aware, most job ads do not specify salary data. A quick peruse of job boards like Careerbuilder and Monster will confirm this. Why do employers omit salary info? Well, while the detailed answer is beyond the scope of this post, the main reason that employers do not include this info is because they do not want it to negatively compromise the effectiveness of the ad. By advertising the salary info, employers fear that applicants may decide solely on the salary without fully understanding the job and other important factors (benefits, location, etc).
While the above is a good reason for employers not to specify salary. There are some cons to omitting salary info on job postings. As a job seeker, have you ever responded to a job ad and gone to the interview only to discover that the employer cannot afford to pay at the level you require? How did you feel about the time and effort you spent on your cover letter, resume, and the interviews? Did they ask you about what salary you desire or worse what you are currently making without reciprocating with the salary info? If so, what feelings did you walk away with about this practice? Did you feel like they were trying to hold all the cards? Take a quick search for jobs and you will see the majority do not include salary info. How interested are you in applying for a job with no salary information?
Having been in corporate HR, it may be considered heresy but I think employers should consider including salary information in job ads. By this I do not mean advertising a 50 page attachment detailing the entire compensation and benefits package. But at the least provide sufficient and accurate information about the salary offered (a range, percentile, and so on). The last thing you want is to annoy talented job candidates by wasting their time and yours. The other sin is to advertise, “Generous Compensation Package” or “Competitive Salary” when it is not. By keeping silent or misleading the applicant when the compensation is not at market negatively impacts an employer brand.
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Posted: March 4th, 2008 under job search.