Here at som-3 we will state the salary ranges for a role when we can, but it is not always as straight forward.

Henry, one of our experienced Recruitment Consultant, gives us his thoughts…..

Having seen a lot on LinkedIn about arguments for and against adding salary ranges on a job description and disclosing it before understanding a candidate’s expectations, I thought I would add my take.

Adding a salary range on a Job Description is usually a must. This is how most people know if this role is at the level they are looking for before applying as they don’t want to waste time. I would say a large portion of candidates who might be a good fit for the role have doubts after looking through a job spec as to if this role is at the level they are looking for, adding a salary range makes this decision easier.

The flip side of this is a large portion of our clients are flexible with their salaries. They may have an idea budget of £50k for a role but if someone could bring an extra skill, they will still consider them at a higher rate. If a job advert has a salary range of up to £50k nobody looking for over £50k would apply.

I personally have also had a client who was looking for someone to start a project to grow the business internationally. The initial role needed someone who can plan the approach, however if this person could bring extra skills (Sales and Setting up distribution channels) the budget was much higher. For someone who could plan the approach there was a budget of £45k however depending on how much the person could add with extra skills the budget could have increased to £120k+. Posting a job advert of £45k-£120k doesn’t give anyone the information required.

The other way we attract candidates is contacting them from job boards. Usually, the first question we are asked is what’s the budget, which I understand to save time is the most important. However, take this scenario as an example, you are a hiring manager recruiting a position looking for 1-5 years’ experience and a budget range of £35-50k. You have 3 CVs who could all be a good fit. CV1 has 5 years’ experience and can come in and hit the ground running as well as support some of the younger members of the team and is looking for a £50k salary. CV2 has 1 years’ experience and is looking for £35k. Finally, CV3 has 1 years’ experience looking for £50k. Which 2 candidates are you going to look to interview?

From my own personal research when a candidate is presented with a salary range, 95% of candidates will ask for the top end no matter what their skill level, which often can discredit many junior candidates as they are competing with senior candidates at the same salary rate. Every candidate knows the salary they are looking for and I’m always the first to tell someone if I feel they are underselling themselves but going straight into the top end isn’t always the best option. A lower salary could, not always, mean the company will put more money into training you to become closer to the higher end of the salary range.

Salary ranges are a sticky topic and there are arguments for disclosing and not disclosing however knowing what your worth is the first place to start. Ask a recruiter who specializes in that space what you should be expecting as well as doing your own google searches to get a minimum acceptable salary and a maximum realistic salary.

Henry