Prioritize Salary Transparency
If you’re paying well, I promise you will get more applicants by including the salary in your listing.
Hey everybody. Kristine here. So, the things I write don’t usually spread. I can be wordy and technical (working on it). However, last week I wrote a quick post on Linkedin and as of today, it was at 107,582 views, 58 comments, and 1,529 likes.
So what struck a chord with readers? Well, here’s a screenshot of what I wrote:
It is 2022 y’all. We are in the midst of one of the most consequential moments of worker power that we have seen in decades. We have not forgotten 2020 (or 2015, or 1968, or 1955). We are looking for more than a value of diversity on a website. We are looking for policies and practices that demonstrate a commitment to equity and an understanding of bias.
Including the starting salary in your job listing is an effortless way to say to every candidate: I value your time. I value my time as a recruiter. If you are hired, you deserve this amount of pay regardless of who you are. This is what this role is worth to our company.
It’s a signal that you value transparency and that you strive to begin your relationships with new employees from a place of trust.
If you’re paying well, I promise you will get more applicants by including the salary in your listing.
If you’re not paying well, being honest and upfront about that will save you time. Applicants won’t ask for what you don’t have.
The New York City Council recently approved a bill requiring local employers to include salary ranges in their job listings.
What if, as a region, we did the same?
We decide the norms of our region. To quote Seth Godin, “People like us do things like this”. We decide what jobs we share with our networks. We decide what jobs we apply for. As leaders, we decide the type of workplace cultures that we build and that we work within.
Let’s choose equity. Let’s choose transparency. Let’s choose to value each other, and our time.
- Kristine Sloan, Executive Director, Leadership Triangle
