Salary

Author
Discussion

Foliage

Original Poster:

3,861 posts

122 months

Friday 30th October 2015
quotequote all
Why is it that most jobs are now advertised sans-salary often just with 'competitive' put on the spec instead?

And why is it when my first query when being approached cold by someone with a possible position that I might be interested in is about the salary, Am I met with passive aggression?

I just don't understand, is my thinking wrong that I don't want to waste mine or their time taking things further if the salary doesn't meet my expectations (ie meet my personal out goings)...

Foliage

Original Poster:

3,861 posts

122 months

Friday 30th October 2015
quotequote all
Interesting yet irritating, as I've been strung along on a number of occasions for roles that have been 30% less than I'm currently on.

Again I've just been approached and basically just said no when I'm quite interesting in hearing what they have to say about the role which while out of my comfort zone with regard to product, seems to offer some interesting opportunities... But I know that their idea of 'competitive' salary isn't going to meet with my idea of 'liveable'. I would quite happily take a small pay cut in order to have a new challenge at this moment in time.

Zoon

6,701 posts

121 months

Friday 30th October 2015
quotequote all
It's a game of bluff.
Employer wants the best candidate at the lowest wage possible in most cases.
Why advertise a salary of £100k when you can get away with £80k?

deckster

9,630 posts

255 months

Friday 30th October 2015
quotequote all
Zoon said:
It's a game of bluff.
Employer wants the best candidate at the lowest wage possible in most cases.
Why advertise a salary of £100k when you can get away with £80k?
To an extent. In my experience, employers who try to attract 100k talent with 80k salaries don't keep the 100k talent very long, and only retain the 60k talent who can't get 80k jobs at a company that treats their employees as an asset rather than a cost.

AJS-

15,366 posts

236 months

Monday 2nd November 2015
quotequote all
Usually salary ranges are fairly open depending who they hire, their experience and current compensation.

Putting a number on it sets the expectation high for people on significantly less and puts people off who are on more.

xjay1337

15,966 posts

118 months

Monday 2nd November 2015
quotequote all
deckster said:
To an extent. In my experience, employers who try to attract 100k talent with 80k salaries don't keep the 100k talent very long, and only retain the 60k talent who can't get 80k jobs at a company that treats their employees as an asset rather than a cost.
That's pretty much it. Companies don't often appreciate their workforce and want the best talent for the lowest money.

Que high staff turnover... poor morale... etc..

blindswelledrat

25,257 posts

232 months

Monday 2nd November 2015
quotequote all
AJS- said:
Usually salary ranges are fairly open depending who they hire, their experience and current compensation.

Putting a number on it sets the expectation high for people on significantly less and puts people off who are on more.
Exactly this.
Added to which, they may well have staff doing a vaguely similar role on less than they are prepared to pay but do not want to advertise this.

AGK

1,601 posts

155 months

Monday 2nd November 2015
quotequote all
I've never bothered with jobs advertised as "competitive".

They wouldn't entertain a CV with my skills listed as competitive.

xjay1337

15,966 posts

118 months

Monday 2nd November 2015
quotequote all
AGK said:
I've never bothered with jobs advertised as "competitive".

They wouldn't entertain a CV with my skills listed as competitive.
That's a funny way of putting

sideways sid

1,371 posts

215 months

Monday 2nd November 2015
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Assuming its not a standardised / graded job - i.e. not shelf-stacking or something - you agree salary and package details after the employer decides that they have the best candidate.

The candidate can raise their expectations when asked and the employer can negotiate on that basis.

boyse7en

6,723 posts

165 months

Monday 2nd November 2015
quotequote all
On the opposite side, I dislike when an interviewer asks what my current salary is. It makes no sense. Offer me what my skills are worth to you to fulfil the role you have, not what I was doing.

megaphone

10,724 posts

251 months

Monday 2nd November 2015
quotequote all
boyse7en said:
On the opposite side, I dislike when an interviewer asks what my current salary is. It makes no sense. Offer me what my skills are worth to you to fulfil the role you have, not what I was doing.
Just tell them it's competitive!

AJS-

15,366 posts

236 months

Monday 2nd November 2015
quotequote all
What if your skills are worth whatever you're currently getting plus a mark up for changing jobs? As is usually the case.


Woodrow Wilson

342 posts

160 months

Saturday 7th November 2015
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Zoon said:
It's a game of bluff.
Employer wants the best candidate at the lowest wage possible in most cases.
Why advertise a salary of £100k when you can get away with £80k?
Or, for many more people, £50/40/30/20K...

Of course it is this. In many companies, people sitting next to each other are paid vastly different salaries. The public sector and privatised, pseudo-public sector often have visible, transparent grading structures.

If the truth was out there in much of private industry, there would be unrest and people leaving.

The problem is that, once inside a company, trying to increase your grade and salary (beyond a very meagre increase) can be very difficult, even if you are actually 'promoted'.

mr_spock

3,341 posts

215 months

Tuesday 10th November 2015
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I'm not too bothered when jobs are listed without a salary range. However, when I am contacted by a recruiter (rather than vice versa) I do expect that when I tell them my requirements for a package, and they say "that won't be a problem", they won't put me through multiple interviews to be offered a pay cut at the end. I've even explained that I will not reduce my take-home pay under any circumstances, that stock options do not replace salary, that travel is not a perk etc., but still some of the useless pillocks STILL think I'll get so excited by a role that I will be prepared to lose money for it.

Sorry for minor rant. I could also go on about the "3 interviews, 150 mile round trip and half a day off each time and then .... silence". Bloody rude.

AJS-

15,366 posts

236 months

Wednesday 11th November 2015
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mr_spock said:
I'm not too bothered when jobs are listed without a salary range. However, when I am contacted by a recruiter (rather than vice versa) I do expect that when I tell them my requirements for a package, and they say "that won't be a problem", they won't put me through multiple interviews to be offered a pay cut at the end. I've even explained that I will not reduce my take-home pay under any circumstances, that stock options do not replace salary, that travel is not a perk etc., but still some of the useless pillocks STILL think I'll get so excited by a role that I will be prepared to lose money for it.

Sorry for minor rant. I could also go on about the "3 interviews, 150 mile round trip and half a day off each time and then .... silence". Bloody rude.
From the other side (recruitment consultant) I hate when this happens probably as much or more, as it almost certainly means that the work I've put into this will yield nothing. Unfortunately some companies and managers are so far up their own backsides they think that everyone is queuing up to join their company or that the prospect of being made a 'Senior Associate Principal Director' in 3 years time somehow offsets dropping 20% pay now. It almost never does and usually creates resentment.

sideways sid

1,371 posts

215 months

Wednesday 11th November 2015
quotequote all
Woodrow Wilson said:
Zoon said:
Of course it is this. In many companies, people sitting next to each other are paid vastly different salaries. The public sector and privatised, pseudo-public sector often have visible, transparent grading structures.

If the truth was out there in much of private industry, there would be unrest and people leaving.
???

Firstly, in public companies, salary/package of senior management, along with average comp are published in the accounts.

Secondly why would somebody leave because they learn that they are paid more than somebody else? You get paid what you are worth!

Condi

17,190 posts

171 months

Thursday 12th November 2015
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sideways sid said:
??

Firstly, in public companies, salary/package of senior management, along with average comp are published in the accounts.

Secondly why would somebody leave because they learn that they are paid more than somebody else? You get paid what you are worth!
By definition, if you knew what everyone was paid, half of them would be below average and its those guys you would lose.


And you dont get paid what you are worth. Ever. You get paid what you can negotiate.