I have been reviewing quite a few job ads lately and come across an interesting phenomenon very, very few of them have their salaries posted – no matter if it is for production, sales, on-air or management.
I wondered why and after looking up some web forums with HR people, and talking to a few more I was able to establish 9 reasons why.
- Wages can depend on location – if you are working from home – then expect to get paid less. And as this is becoming the norm – people working from anywhere in the world, you will be paid based on the average wage that job has, in that location – not what you get paid doing that job in your country.
- The old argument that employers don’t want employees to know how much they are worth. If you see a job that is on your company site – advertising a position, and you see how much that is worth – then you will definitely feel like you are being ripped off – business’ claim that they want to avoid issues with existing workers, that’s why they don’t advertise the wage. SURE!
- Competition… That’s right competition – employers are always looking for better people to fill their roles on-air and behind the scenes. Companies don’t advertise the a salary range, to keep things competitive.
- Disagreements with new hires. If an employer is advertising a job and don’t include an exact salary, they may include a range, and if you get the job you might think that you deserve the top of that range – think again, more thank likely you will be getting the bottom of it.
- Knowing the salary, give YOU more negotiating power – and employers don’t want that. They don’t want you to think that there is room to negotiate that’s why you should go in prepared and have industry examples of how much people are earning now in that role.
- They think it isn’t necessary to reveal what the salary is because they are one of the top companies in the field – seriously, this is a belief in top companies and consistent ratings winners.
- They want to hire people who are passionate about the job, not driven by how much they earn. This is a red flag for me – I wouldn’t apply at any company who believed this as they would expect long hours, for little pay.
- The expect candidates (especially those in sales) to negotiate the best terms – this is part of the hiring process to see how effective you would be in that role. If you are not in sales, and maybe thinking about working from home – remember to include any benefits you might want – see below.
- Employees think that some of their company perks make up for lower wages – NOPE! I don’t want to join a gym, have free parking, etc.
Things you should consider when you are thinking about working from home and negotiating with these type of employers:
- Work life balance (hours you will work) and that includes things like mental health days, sick leave, home care services, childcare benefits, etc.
- Utilities including Electricity costs, internet costs and usage, and insurance.
- Subscriptions, home office budget, home office furniture.
- Or an education and upskilling fund…
- What about bonuses, retirement benefits, office travel when required?
In the end – should you apply for these jobs that don’t list the salary?
In my opinion NO – because if we stop applying – they should start advertising them correctly – but that’s not realistic is it?
Instead you should see what other companies – who do list their salaries – pay, and then think about applying at that company who doesn’t tell you… but in the end – you should always be prepared to negotiate – always – no matter what role you are going for.
