What to do when the employer doesn't want to share the salary range for a position?

Question

While interviewing for jobs, I found some employers which were not willing to share their salary range for a position I was interviewing for. When I asked them: "What is the salary range for this position?" they would usually say: "That depends on the seniority level the person displays through the interview.". A response I haven't tried yet, but could is: "Assume I'm a mid level developer. What is the salary range for mid-level developers?".

I don't really understand why some employers won't share the amount of money they will pay for a position. I mean, I do know it to some degree: they want to pick the "best bang for the buck" candidate and so they ask all candidates that question. Honestly, I think this is manipulative towards the candidates and is dishonest, provided that employers do know how much money they are willing to pay (which I think they do, unless they are extremely disorganized, which is a red flag).

How can I get the employer to tell me their salary range for a position?

Answer 1

Despite the massive cynicism displayed in other answers, walking away from employers who won't disclose salary is going to mean you walk away from some potentially lucrative and interesting jobs. Now if you are in the position of always having multiple offers to choose from then sure, walk away from ones who won't give you a salary range up front. But for most of us that's not a smart strategy. I've worked for a few companies that didn't give salary numbers but paid over market rates.

Here is why:

• Lots of companies really are looking for developers at any level. They genuinely are prepared to make you an offer at any level from very junior to very senior depending on the skills you show. Any range they quote would be too wide to be helpful.
• Some companies don't have fixed ranges and any salary is theoretically negotiable.
• Technical interviewers don't know salary ranges and so can't tell you what it is. HR don't know what level you are going to end up at and so can't tell you.
• Just like you, some companies subscribe to the "first person to say a number loses" theory of negotiation. They would rather you stated your salary requirements. Walking away from a company using a particular negotiating strategy (one which you may be using) is shortsighted.
• There are unfortunately some people who entirely define themselves by competition with their peers. Those people, if told they are going to be paid $62K (market rate) will be quite happy. But if told that the range for their position is $60-70K will reject $62K because it's at the bottom of the range. Even if the range includes people with way more experience than them.

Unless you are trying to decide which of your many interviews to pursue, failure to get a range shouldn't be a problem. If you know your worth, you won't accept lowball offers when they come, so you've lost little by going ahead with the interview. And sometimes these interviews yield good jobs.

Answer 2

There’s only really 3 options.

#1 Accept it and continue with the interview process anyway.

#2 Give your own salary range and see if they say it’s too high. Not really recommended because you’re giving away valuable negotiation leverage for not much in return.

#3 Tell them that you don’t want to waste yours or anyone else’s time. So you don’t participate in interviews without doing at least a high-level check upfront that you have compatible ranges you’re aiming at.

This only works if you are, in fact, willing to walk away from the process.

Answer 3

In the body of your post, you ask:

How can I get the employer to tell me their salary range for a position?

But the title asks a different question:

What to do when the employer doesn't want to share the salary range for a position?

As an answer to the latter: the employer is not always the only place to get this information. Third-party sites like Glassdoor sometimes provide estimated salaries, although the accuracy of those estimates is variable; see here and here for some discussion on that. In general, they're more likely to be accurate for large, US-based businesses with standardised position descriptions and titles.

Depending on location, this information might also be available in public records. For example, in Australia many employers have a formal Enterprise Agreement which sets out pay and conditions, usually for a three-year period. This can often be found via the Fair Work Australia website, and it gives not just the headline salary but the full detail of leave entitlements, job-specific allowances, and so on, along with any future salary increases that have already been agreed on.

Answer 4

You are looking for a job, but it doesn’t have to be this job. So you give your own salary band. Obviously to anyone with a brain is that if they offer you the low number, you will try very hard to find something better, and will only accept as a last resort. And if they offer the high number you start immediately. And everything in between, you will check the market and decide accordingly.

It should also be obvious that the higher their offer, the more likely you are to stay longer. If they don’t understand this, you’ll have to start elsewhere.

So your low number should be just acceptable and the highest should make you very happy.

Answer 5

Why do you care what their salary range is? What matters is what they offer you, and you won't find that out until the offer is made.

The only advantage of asking would be if you could screen out low-paying companies/positions before interviewing ... and as others have noted, if you insist on an answer that early and they refuse you may reject companies that would make you a good offer on exactly the kind of job you want. That strikes me as a self-destructive action, but it's up to you to decide how much you hate interviewing.

Answer 6

If they are not willing to share the salary, you can safely assume that it's pathetically low and move on to more serious job offers.

The only alternative is some extreme form of mind games based on not knowing how to manage, which honestly unless you are desperate, move on.

There's nothing you can do to force someone to share that information, and even if you did, there's absolutely nothing you can do to ensure you will be offered anything like that if it comes to it.

Answer 7

Two approaches;

1. If they won't answer, take the first interview as a 'training' interview, to get you practice in taking interviews.

2. When they refuse to answer, ask them at what point WILL the salary be disclosed, and what is the structure of the interview process. If they tell you that they'll make an offer or not after one or two interviews, that's fine; it's not a big waste of your time. If they say that it's a three month process, with six interviews, then that is a massive red flag, and I'd recommend that you walk.

Answer 8

Seen this many times!

Ask them to be forthcoming with the information!

Companies that are not upfront with their rate of pay, will be always on the low end of the pay scale.

Such companies may also have a high turn over of employees due to such policies.

Seen this many times.

Legislation in some areas (countries) now demand that companies to be upfront with such information to potential employees.

In the end you have the right to know, even if they refuse to divulge the pay rate.

Answer 9

Here's my response when you encounter this sort of situation:

"Thank you for your time - I am no longer interested in this opportunity"

Get up, shake their hand(s) and leave.

Don't waste your time with companies like this, nothing good ever comes of it. If they are paying market rates or a competitive salary, they would say it. If they are trying to get a Ferrari at Ford prices, then they would want to keep quiet about it.

Suffice to say, what I think the scenario is.