Applying for jobs is harder than having a job, sometimes. In a capitalist world, employers are out to get as much out of you as they can for as little as possible.
One of the ways companies do this is by not disclosing salary in job postings, or asking you to say what your salary expectations are.
Not only are they forcing you to lowball yourself out of fear, if no one knows what a job pays, but they can also pay people differently for the same job. That’s a big problem.
A writer named Matt Wallace posted a rant about this issue that really touched a nerve.
“Put. the goddamn. salary. in. your. job posting,” he started. “Otherwise it’s like me demanding an interview without you seeing my resume. Maybe I’m what you’re looking for, maybe not. You’ll have to commit your time/energy to this process to find out! Oh, that doesn’t work for you? NO SH-T.”
He went on to say how frustrating it is to read long job postings that seemingly mention every other detail besides pay, except he used a lot more profanity.
There is ONE (1) reason not to make salary/pay rate transparency part of your SOP, and that is so you can fuck people over and pay them less than they're worth. If that's not your intention, fix it. AT LEAST post a goddamn pay RANGE when you solicit resumes.
— Matt Wallace (@MattFnWallace) January 17, 2020
He had a suggestion for people who are applying to jobs that aren’t mentioning pay, saying they should go super high when asked what they want:
And for folks applying for those vague-ass gigs: When they preemptively hit you with, “So what are you looking for, salary/rate-wise?” Go super fucking high with your first number. SUPER high. And act genuinely confused if/when they indicate they think that number is high.
— Matt Wallace (@MattFnWallace) January 17, 2020
Some commenters argued that this isn’t really possible, because it feels like you have to say what will get you the job—if you’re desperate.
More commenters started listing the other ways that recruiters and job postings make it so hard to figure out what to expect from a job, even as you’re applying:
I used to be a recruiter and was supposed to do this but didn’t bc it’s a terrible rule. The “reason” is that candidates could go around recruiters and try to apply directly. But that’s dumb. If the post is public they’ve prolly already applied. If it’s private, they can’t. 🙄
— Heather (@ablinkingcursor) January 18, 2020
It's the old, "look we are fun so paying you less will be okay" ploy.
— THEE Dr. Sacheen, author and podcast host (@drsacmob) January 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/maddy_kilgore/status/1218629832378126336
right? i’ve been applying for jobs and i got an interview that did not list the hourly rate. it turned out to be $5 less an hour than i make right now. if i had known that i would not have wasted my time, or THEIRS, frankly
— tay 🌈 ✨ 💖 (@akihik0sanada) January 17, 2020
Same. But it was for an accounting position in corporate for a casino. They offered me “cage cashier” instead… 8 hours a week.
— Deirdre Statham (@deirdrestatham) January 17, 2020
Thank you for letting me know you are going to try to pay me as little as is humanly possible for this job.
— Sylvia Sheeple (@sylviathesheep) January 18, 2020
There were a few extremely confident people who divulged their own strategies in the room when they can’t get a straight answer about pay. In some places, it’s illegal for an interviewer to ask how much you were paid at your last job.
These things won’t work for everyone, but if you do have that power, flex it:
BODIED
— Conrad L/OS (@KernalSaunderz) January 19, 2020
It's illegal to ask this in California now (thank goodness)
— Jennifer Medina (@jenadina) January 19, 2020
I won’t even apply unless there is a base salary listed. I assume it’s minimum wage & I’m too talented and experienced for it. I negotiated myself a higher pay rate when I interviewed for current company & that’s awesome but I don’t have time to interview for nonsense pay.
— Allie-saurus Rex 🦖 (@AllieSanders) January 18, 2020
If I were the interviewer I would agree and say, “Obviously you do $30 work, so that’s your starting salary.”
— Writing Our Destiny in d20s and historic cocktails (@planecrazy) January 18, 2020
Or if you don’t have that power, at least know that these are the red flags that tell you this isn’t a job you really want to land and try elsewhere.