Companies Not Telling Salary in Interviews: What to Do?
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Today I’m touching on a question that came in from a #CultureDrop subscriber:
“I’m in the interview process and have already had two interviews. I’m really interested in the job, but still don’t know what the salary is. They’ve been avoiding the question. Should I do a third interview?”
My answer is a two-parter: I want to answer this question, but first have something to say to companies about being shady when it comes to salary.
Part one of my answer: For companies.
Dear companies, it is no longer acceptable to be dodgy about pay. Post the salary in the job description. Stop hoping that someone will come in and ask for way less than what you have budgeted for the position.
If you truly care about employee experience, be upfront about salaries to job applicants.
Job applicants aren’t coming to volunteer for your company just because they love you.
People go to work for a paycheck. And very simply, if you want great employees then you have to pay them well. Internally, decide what the budget is for the position and post it. Be upfront about it or give a reasonable range. Don’t be shady or dodgy when candidates ask about money.
“Can you imagine walking into a grocery store, picking up a gallon of milk, and asking what the cost is, only for them to respond, “Well how much do you have?”
No one should interview two or three times and still not know what the compensation will look like for the position.
Can you imagine walking into a grocery store, picking up a gallon of milk, and asking what the cost is, only for them to respond, “Well how much do you have?” or “What have you paid at other places?”
Here’s something you may have not considered: DE&I.
The people who are hurt most by companies being shady about salary are women and people of color — folks who have historically not had a seat at the table.
The reason for this is because they are generally least likely to feel comfortable negotiating and asserting themselves in these types of situations.
“If you truly care as a company about diversity, equity, and inclusion, then stop being dodgy about salaries.”
If you truly care as a company about diversity, equity, and inclusion, then stop being dodgy about salaries.
Let folks know what your budget is. Pay them as much as you can, and be upfront about all of it. People over profits — move away from paying the least amount possible to fill the role, and towards about hiring someone who will be an excellent team member and is worth as much as you can afford to pay.
Part two of my answer: For applicants.
To the person who asked this question and folks who are in similar positions, I think before you take another interview, you need to ask for some clarity.
That can be as simple as: “Before we continue to move forward in the interview process, I need some information about the salary for the role.”
You don’t have to be upset or rude about it at all, in fact be cool as ice and just be honest. Let them know that you are seriously interested in the role, and need to make sure that you’re at least in the right ballpark before you take up any more of each other’s time.
I know not everyone is really comfortable advocating for themselves when it comes to salary during the interview process, but it’s a skill that critical to your career. So here are some tips and advice.
If you are not skilled in how to navigate salary conversations and negotiations, you will short change yourself out of a lot of money throughout your career. It makes a world of difference to have skilled responses and confidence about what to say, and how to say it.
Using a very common example, if a company asks you in an interview what your salary expectations are for their role, especially if you are in the dark about what the salary is, it is best not give them an answer just yet, and to put the ball in their court first.
You put yourself in a much better position when the company is the one to give a number first.
You never know what a company has budgeted or will pay for a position, and companies who are dodgy about salary are hoping you’ll ask for much less than that what they’re willing to pay.
A really effective response when a company asks about your salary expectations (and they have not been upfront about the compensation) is to simply ask:
“What have you budgeted for the position?”
Do not be rude or combative about it, but you do not have to give them a number first. Every company already knows what their budget is for any role before they post a job or start interviews, so it’s no mystery to them.
Let them answer first. If you give them a number that is $5k, $10k, or $20k less than what they are prepared to pay you then you will automatically lose out on that compensation. It will take you years at the company through raises, etc. to end up making what you would have made if you had just navigated that conversation more skillfully before being hired.
If you’d like more tips on how to negotiate salary, check out Ramit Sethi’s videos on YouTube about this (he has a number of great, quick vids about this) — I think he’s an excellent resource for salary conversations during interviews.
Good luck out there! If you increase your skills you need WAY less luck.
To wrap things up.
To the subscriber who sent this question in: thank you & I hope this is helpful!
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
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